Assessment and field-scale mapping of soil quality properties of a saline-sodic soil

Salt-affected soils could produce useful forages when irrigated with saline drainage water. To assess the productive potential and sustainability of using drainage water for forage production, a saline-sodic site (32.4 ha) in California's San Joaquin Valley was characterized for soil quality. The objectives were (1) to spatially characterize initial soil physicochemical properties relevant to maintaining soil quality on an arid zone soil and (2) to characterize soil quality relationships and spatial variability.