Assessment of physiochemical properties of farm soils and irrigation water around a major industrial area in Oman

Water for irrigation and cultivable soil is very precious and more crucial for sustainable farming in arid environments. Sohar Industrial Area in Oman is the major industrial zone operating in a confined area closer to agriculture farms. This study aims to assess the physiochemical parameters in soils and the water used for irrigation in these farms. Samples were collected from 8 farms, 4 each from 2 sites (2 and 4 km from the industrial zone). Results show that the salinity of irrigation water varies from one farm to the other, where the closest farms are more affected. Most of the farm soils are saline in nature with Sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) of less than seven. The soil salinity is higher than water salinity with magnesium and chloride as predominant cation and anion respectively. In general, the vital water and soil parameters are within the prescribed limits for the existing crop cultivation. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.