The present investigation aims at studying the effect of irrigation with sea-fresh mixed water of increased salinity level on some soil chemical properties and plant growth. Therefore, two soils were collected, the first was sandy from Meet-Kenana Village, and the second was clayey from the farm of the Faculty of Agriculture, Moshtohor Qalubiya Governorate.
To fulfill the abovementioned purpose, a pot experiment was carried out in the greenhouse using barley plants (Hordum vulgare cv. Giza 123) as indicator plants. Plastic pots of six kg capacity was packed with 5 kg of the clayey soil and 6 kg of the sandy one and 20 barley grains was sown and irrigated with sea-fresh mixed water at ratios of : 1:10, 1:5, 1:4, 1:3 and 1:2 sea : fresh water; these mixed waters have an EC of 7.35, 12.8, 14.80, 18.10 and 23.50, respectively. After complete germination plants were thinned to 10 plants per pot. Plants were irrigated with the sea –fresh mixed water till maturity then plants were harvested and separated into grains and straw; the dry weight of both was recorded and plant samples were digested and analyzed for their contents of nutrients. At end of the experiments samples of soils were taken from each pot and chemically analyzed. The obtained results indicate that irrigation with sea-fresh mixed water decreased soil pH, whereas increased soil salinity (EC), SAR and ESP; the increase was more pronounced in sandy soil than in the clayey one. Also, results showed that both of straw and grain yields as well as nutrients uptake decreased with decreasing the ratio of sea –fresh water mixing from 1:10 up to 1:2 sea : fresh water i.e with increasing salinity level of the irrigation water. The maximum yield of both straw and grain was obtained at mixing ratio of 1:10 i.e at salinity level (EC) of 7.35 dS/m.
It could be recommended that sea-fresh mixed water may be used, particularly at mixing ratio of 1 : 10 (sea : fresh water), to irrigate plants tolerant to salinity like as barley with a satisfactory benefit where the total relative yield obtained at this ratio of mixing was 62.05 and 85.99 % of that obtained at control (Irrigation with (fresh) tap water) in both of the sandy and the clayey soils, respectively. The use of brackish or low quality water like sea water in irrigation would save the fresh water for the other usages.
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