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Research article
Determination of predominant soluble salts in soils
of the irrigation district Alto Chicamocha of Boyacá
Determinación de sales solubles predominantes en suelos
del distrito de riego Alto Chicamocha de Boyacá
ABSTRACT
doi: 10.15446/rfnam.v71n3.72375
Keywords:
Anions
Cations
Geostatistics
E.C
Water table
RESUMEN
Palabras clave:
Aniones
Cationes
Geoestadística
C.E
Nivel freático
1 Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias. Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia. Avenida Central del Norte 39-115, 150003 Tunja, Colombia.
* Corresponding author: <ingrid.walteros@uptc.edu.co>
Received: May 23, 2018; Accepted: July 30, 2018
Rev. Fac. Nac. Agron. Medellín 71(3): 8581-8592. 2018 ISSN 0304-2847 / e-ISSN 2248-7026
In Boyacá, the Alto Chicamocha irrigation and drainage district (DRACH, by its initials in Spanish)
is the department’s main agricultural production unit, covering an area of 8016.78 ha and due to the
natural conditions and the management that has been given to the high basin of the Chicamocha
River, salinization has been recognized as a limiting factor. Therefore, we sought to determine the
predominant soluble salts in the soils that comprise the DRACH. Based on the chemical soil analysis
information of 301 samples, obtained from studies conducted by GISSAT-UPTC and Corpoica, E.C,
pH, anions and cations present in the soil were determined. For the spatial analysis of the variables
studied, the ArcGis 10.3 software was used. Thirty-one water samples were collected in wells of the
phreatimetric network to carry out the chemical characterization of the water. It was found that 48.01%
of the soils of the district were non-saline, 22.93% slightly saline, 14.74% moderately saline and saline
14.33%. The main soluble salts in the soil were Na2SO4, Ca2SO4, NaCl2 and CaCl2, which are related to
the lacustrine origin and the presence of thermal springs in the region. The areas with greater problem
of salinization occur in the municipalities of Tibasosa, Patrocinio, Ucaca, Las Vueltas; in Santa Rosa
de Viterbo in the village of Salitre; in Duitama in the villages Cebadero and Higueras with E.C. greater
than 2 dS m-1.
El distrito de riego y drenaje del Alto Chicamocha (DRACH por sus siglas en español), es la principal
unidad de producción agropecuaria del departamento de Boyacá, Colombia, abarca un área de
8016,78 hectáreas y debido a las condiciones naturales y al manejo que se le ha venido dando a la
cuenca alta del Río Chicamocha, la salinización ha sido reconocida como limitante. Por lo anterior
se buscó determinar las sales solubles predominantes en los suelos que comprenden el DRACH.
Con base en la información de análisis químicos de suelos de 301 muestras, obtenidas de estudios
realizados por el GISSAT-UPTC y Corpoica, se determinó C.E, pH, aniones y cationes presentes
en el suelo. Para el análisis espacial de las variables estudiadas se usó el sofware ArcGis 10.3. Se
colectaron 31 muestras de agua en pozos de la red freatimétrica para realizar la caracterización
química del agua. Se encontró que el 48,01% de los suelos del distrito eran no salinos, el 22,93
% ligeramente salino, el 14,74% moderadamente salino y salinos el 14,33%. Las principales sales
solubles en el suelo fueron el Na2SO4, Ca2SO4, NaCl2 y CaCl2, las cuales están relacionadas con el
origen lacustre y la presencia de termales en la región. Las zonas con mayor riesgo de salinización
se presentan en los municipios de Tibasosa, veredas Patrocinio, Ucaca, las Vueltas; en Santa Rosa
de Viterbo en la vereda Salitre; en Duitama en las veredas Cebadero e Higueras con C.E. mayores
a 2,00 dS m-1.
Ingrid Walteros Torres1*, Germán Cely Reyes1 and Diego Moreno Perez1
8582
Rev. Fac. Nac. Agron. Medellín 71(3): 8581-8592. 2018
Walteros I, Cely G, Moreno D
Irrigation is considered a fundamental element in
agriculture due to its effect on increasing production,
improving the quality of products, sustainable
intensication of land use and its contribution
to safety food (FAO, 2000; 2011). In 2012, there
were more than 324 million hectares in the world
equipped for irrigation, of which approximately 85%
or 275 million are effectively irrigated; by 2010, China
became the country with the largest area of irrigation,
and together with India, it covers 42% of the world’s
irrigation (AQUASTAT-FAO, 2014). In this way,
irrigation has reduced the dependence on seasonal
agriculture, thus achieving high agricultural production
(Rhoades et al., 1992). In soils such as those in semi-
arid regions where water requirements for crops
are high and are necessarily supplied by irrigation
districts, the use of these causes serious problems of
environmental degradation that hampers the growth of
crops and regional production in general (Abbas et al.,
2013). Although irrigation districts bring advantages to
agricultural systems, they have also brought with them
environmental problems, such as: Salinization of soils,
contamination of surface and groundwater bodies,
changes in the landscape, and stress on plants.
The mobilization of salts in the soil is very variable among
the different irrigation zones and according to Chedlia
et al. (2012). Salinity depends on several factors such
as the amount of salts present in the water, the texture
of the soil, the distance from the intake to the district,
the hydrogeology of the area, irrigation and drainage,
and climatic conditions (rainfall regime, average
temperature) (Duncan et al., 2008). For Girón-Ríos et
al. (2009), salinity is a complex process of chemical
degradation, which inuences signicant changes in the
physical properties of soils and is affected mainly by the
presence of salts in irrigation water and efciency of the
same (Aragüés et al., 2011).
Colombia has not been unrelated to the problem of
salinization, in the different soil studies conducted,
it is common to nd that the soils have degradation
phenomena, with erosion and salinization being the
main problems in the territory. In this regard, the
country ratied the United Nations Convention to
Combat Desertication and Drought (UNCCD), which
considers as an important strategy the identication
and monitoring of soil degradation processes at the
national, regional and local levels (FAO, 2000; 2011).
Currently, public institutions of national order have
been making important efforts to diagnose salinity
problems in the country’s soils, such as the national
map of soil degradation by salinization carried out by
IDEAM in 2017.According to this study, 14,041,883 ha
(12.3%) of the country’s soils (continental and insular
areas) present some degree of degradation due to
salinization. The very severe and severe degradation
occupies 2,726,757 ha (2.4%); the moderate degree
8,885,369 ha (7.8%) and with 2,449,757 ha slightly
(2.1%).
In Boyacá, the most important agricultural production
unit in the department and the largest sprinkler irrigation
district that has been built in a cold climate zone, is the
DRACH, which has eleven irrigation units (Pacheco
et al., 2004) and covers an area of 8016.78 ha. The
problem of salinization has been recognized as a limiting
factor in the agricultural soils that currently correspond to
DRACH since 1960, the Colombian Institute for Agrarian
Reform – INCORA (by its initial in Spanish), carried out
drainage works to enable land to agriculture. The soils
of the Tundama - Suamox valley are very vulnerable
to salinization due to the natural conditions and the
management that has been given to the upper basin
of the Chicamocha River. For 2012 after an extreme
rainfall weather event where 3000 ha were affected,
the main victims were the agricultural producers who
benet from the DRACH and both urban and rural
inhabitants of the municipalities of Paipa, Duitama,
Nobsa, Sogamoso and to a greater extent Tibasosa
(GISSAT, 2012), after this extreme weather event
the problem of salinization was evidenced, where
high electrical conductivities and saline scabs were
observed. Therefore, with this research we sought to
determine which were the most predominant soluble
salts in the soils that comprise the DRACH and its
special distribution.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Location
The research was conducted in the DRACH which
covers the towns of Paipa, Duitama, Tibasosa, Santa
Rosa de Viterbo, Sogamoso and Nobsa (Figure 1) over
the eleven irrigation units (Table 1).
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Determination of predominant soluble salts in soils of the irrigation district alto Chicamocha of Boyacá
Figure 1. Location of the Irrigation and Drainage District of Alto Chicamocha.
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N° Irrigation Unit Town Rural áreas
1 Monquira Tibasosa Patrocinio
Nobsa Caleras
Sogamoso Siatame, Área Urbana
2 Ministerio Tibasosa Suescún, Centros, Patrocinio, Resguardo
Nobsa Ucuenga, Caleras
3 Tibasosa Tibasosa Suescún, Boyera, Centros, Área Urbana.
Nobsa Ucuenga
4 Las Vueltas Tibasosa Vueltas
5 San Rafael Tibasosa Peña Negra, Suescún
Santa Rosa de Viterbo Salitre
Nobsa Punta Larga, San Martín, Dicho, Ucuenga
6 Cuche Santa Rosa de Viterbo Cuche, Salitre, Cachavita, Creciente, Tunguaquita, La
Chorrera
Duitama Tocogua
Nobsa San Martín
7 Duitama Duitama San Lorenzo de Abajo, Aguatendida, Tocogua, Área
Urbana
Tibasosa Chorrito
8 Ayalas Duitama San Lorenzo de Abajo
Tibasosa Ayalas
9 Surba Duitama San Lorenzo de Arriba, San Lorenzo de Abajo
10 Holanda Paipa Toibita, Cruz de Bonza, Romita, Caños, Paipa Área
Urbana
11 Pantano de Vargas Paipa Rincón De Vargas, Pantano De Vargas, Varguitas,
Caños
Table 1. Irrigation units that dene the DRACH.
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Walteros I, Cely G, Moreno D
The DRACHis located in the department of Boyacá,
approximately 180 km from Bogotá, with an average
temperature of 14 °C, with an average rainfall of 778
mm, an average altitude of 2560 m and a relative
humidity of 70% (Martínez et al., 2008). Most of the
soils are of agricultural vocation, however, dairy cattle
stands out and, on a smaller scale, dual-purpose cattle
(GISSAT, 2012).
In the DRACH data were taken for soils and waters
which were georeferenced and projected to the Magna
Colombia Bogotá coordinate system. The samples were
faced in the dry period, after the La Niña phenomenon
(2010-2012).
Soils analysis for Salinity
Based on the chemical soil analysis information from
301 samples, obtained from studies conducted by the
Interinstitutional Research Group on Tropical Acid
Sulphate Soils (GISSAT-UPTC, 2012) and Corpoica;
electrical conductivity (E.C) by saturation extract –
conductivity meter, hydrogen potencial (pH) by the
1:1 ratio method and the soluble salts in the soil were
determined, for this the cations were obtained by atomic
absorption.
To establish the spatial tendency of salinity, the
geostatistical analysis of the E.C, pH, Sulfates (SO4
=),
Sodium (Na2+), was carried out. For the spatial analysis
of the variables studied, the Geostatistical analyst tool
of the ArcGis 10.3 software was used, the interpolation
method used was ordinary Kriging. To classify the
salinity of DRACH soils, the following ranges of electrical
conductivity (E.C.) were used: saline (≥ 2 dS m-1),
moderately saline (≥ 1.5 < 2 dS m-1), slightly saline (≥
1 < 1.5 dS m-1) and not saline (< 1 dS m-1), according to
Castro and Gómez (2010). Regarding the classication
used for sulfates (SO4
=), the following ranges were used:
Under 11 ppm, Optimum 38 ppm and High 64 ppm
according to Castro and Gómez (2010). For sodium, the
ranges were used: low 0.1 cmol kg-1, medium 0.1-0.5
cmol kg-1 and high > 0.5 cmol kg-1 according to Castro
and Gómez (2010).
Groundwater analysis for Salinity
Thirty-one water samples were collected wells of
the phreatimetric network to perform the chemical
characterization corresponding to pH with potentiometer,
E.C with conductivimeter, sulfates by colorimetry, and
by titulation were obtained the chlorids, carbonates,
Bicarbonates and nitrates, the cationes (Na2+, Ca2+, Mg2+
and K) by atomic absorption. This information allowed to
determine the quality of these waters and their possible
relationship with the salinization processes. The
samples were analyzed in the soil and water laboratory
of the Faculty of agricultural sciences of the UPTC (by
its initials in Spanish), with the analytical methodology
(Analytical Control Soil Laboratory- ICONTEC).
The research had a non-experimental design, since
independent variables could not be manipulated, where
the phenomenon of salinization was observed in its
natural context within the irrigation District. For each
of the variables, the basic descriptive statistics were
calculated, in which the mean, median, kurtosis and
asymmetry were calculated, as well as the parameters
of the semivariogram (Sill, Nugget and Range) and the
cross validation (Table 2).
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
As it is mentioned by Narváez et al. (2014), classical
statistics and geostatistics are some of the tools for the
analysis of soil salinity that contributes to the identication
of affected areas and the monitoring of spatio-temporal
variations, in the Table 2 the results for the geostatistical
analysis of the variables studied are observed.
The statistical model that was best adjusted for the
variables pH (Figure 2), E.C (Figure 3), Na2+ (Figure
4) was the exponential, while for the sulfates was the
Rational Quadratic model (Figure 5). These variables
were studied because they are the most representative
soluble salts of the zone.
According to the Kolmogorov-Smirnov normality test, the
variables analyzed show a non-normal behavior except
for pH (Table 2). For Cressie (1993), normality is not a
mandatory requirement for the analysis of geostatistical
data, however, it must be considered that the distribution of
the data don´t show a very long tail, since it compromises
the results for the Kriging estimates.
Variability is an intrinsic characteristic of each property
and its specic behavior for each soil condition, use and
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Determination of predominant soluble salts in soils of the irrigation district alto Chicamocha of Boyacá
Table 2. Descriptive and spatial statistics of the variables studied.
Variables
Statistics E.C. pH Na2+ SO4
=
Mean 1.5 5.411 4.446 2.456
Sill (CO+C) 0.64 0.9483 1.119 0.909
Range 2640.84 1280 3055.31 3874.58
Nugget (CO) 0.35 0.0531 0.725 0.494
Cross-validation (Error mean) 0.0178 -0.03 0.010 -0.079
1.318
1.13
0.941
0.753
0.565
0.377
0.188
– Model + Averaged
0.00 0.667 1.333 2 2.667 3.333 4 4.667 5.333 6
Distance (m) h 10-3
Y
Semivariance
R2 =0.899
Figure 2. Semivariogram of pH.
– Model + Averaged
Distance (m) h 10-3
1.005
0.880
0.754
0.628
0.503
0.377
0.251
0.126
0.00 0.60 1.20 1.80 2.40 3.00 3.60 4.20 4.80 5.40 6.00 6.60
Semivariance
YR2 =0.971
management; therefore, interpreting the autocorrelation
of a variable along its distribution in one area, and its
correlation with respect to another variable or variables,
is a study that has a large number of immersion factors,
Figure 3. Semivariogram of E.C in the DRACH.
and requires clear knowledge of the factors that
condition it (Jaramillo et al., 2008). The Range is the
zone of inuence and corresponds to the distance from
which two observations are independent (Giraldo, 2002).
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Walteros I, Cely G, Moreno D
All the variables had a moderate spatial dependence
(Table 2) according to the classication proposed by
Cambardella et al. (1994), since the relationship between
the plateau and the nugget effect [C/(Co+C)] is between
0.25 and 0.75, the pH showed a range of 1287.93 m, the
E.C a range of 2048.9 m, Na2+ a range of 3055.31 and the
SO4
= a range of 3874.58, indicating that there is a spatial
correlation in each of the variables at that distance.
Figure 4. Semivariogram of Na2+
Figure 5. Semivariogram of SO4
=
2.277
1.952
1.626
1.301
0.976
0.651
0.325
Y
– Model + Averaged
0.000 0.54 1.09 1.63 2.18 2.72 3.27 3.81 4.36 4.90 5.45 6
Distance (m) h 10-3
Semivariance
R2 =0.940
1.487
1.275
1.062
0.850
0.637
0.425
0.212
0.000 0.750 1.500 2.250 3.000 3.750 4.500 5.250 6
Distance (m) h 10-3
– Model + Averaged
YR2 =0.978
Semivariance
The results of the descriptive analysis for the soil
variables showed that the E.C. of the soil saturation
extract, presented an average value of 1.77 dS m-1; the
highest value was registered in the town of Santa Rosa
rural area “El Salitre” with an E.C. of 6.57 dS m-1 and
the lowest in the municipality of Paipa with 0.16 dS m-1.
Figure 6 shows the behavior of the mean of the E.C.
values for the districts that make up the district.
It should be noted that 48.01% of the district’s soils are
found in the range of E.C. < 1 dS m-1, which classies
it as non-saline (Table 3), 22.93% between ≥ 1.0 <
1.5 dS m-1 which is classied as slightly saline, 14.74%
between ≥ 1.5 < 2 dS m-1 which are moderately saline
and 14.33% have values higher than ≥ 2 dS m-1 are
saline soils (Figure 7), which indicates that they are soils
that begin to have salt problems, according to Castro and
Gómez (2010). These values coincide with those reported
by Mercado et al. (2011) who in the Doctrina Irrigation
District, Colombia found values higher than 3 dS m-1, which
indicated salinity problems for those areas. The electrical
conductivity of the soil is a function of the clay content
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Determination of predominant soluble salts in soils of the irrigation district alto Chicamocha of Boyacá
and water content (Kurtulus et al., 2009, Narváez et al.,
2014), with the topography, and the phreatic level which allows high variability to be present for this parameter
(Ulset et al., 1998).
0
0,5
1
1,5
2
2,5
3
3,5
4
Bonza
Cebadero
San Lorenzo
Tocugua
Dichó
Punta Larga
Caños
Rincón de Vargas
Varguitas
El Salitre
La Chorrera
La Creciente
Tungüaquita
Siatama
Ayalas
El Chorrito
Las Vueltas
Patrocinio
Resguardo
Suescún
ds.m-1
Rural Areas
Mean of the EC
4.0
3.5
3.0
2.5
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5
0.0
ds m-1
Figure 6. General average of the E.C. in the soils of rural DRACH.
Table 3. E.C. Ranges for DRACH soils.
E.C. Range (dS m-1) Area (ha) Percentage (%)
< 1.0 3848.84 48.01
≥ 1.0 < 1.5 1838.09 22.93
≥ 1.5 < 2.0 1181.34 14.74
≥ 2.00 1148.51 14.33
Total 8016.78 100
Figure 7. Spatial distribution of E.C in the DRACH soils.
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< 1.0 Non-Saline
≥1.0<1.5 Slightly Saline
≥1.5<2.0 Moderately Saline
≥2 Salines
DISTRICT DIVISIONS
Electric Conductivity
dS m-1
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Walteros I, Cely G, Moreno D
The pH presented an average value of 5.52. In general,
it was between the range of 5-6 that corresponds to
moderately acid soils, with 46.64% of the total area of the
Figure 8. Spatial distribution of pH in the DRACH soils.
soluble salts are very abundant in the soil, it is likely that
the prole is very poorly differentiated, but its structure
tends to be stable, as a result of the occulating action
of Ca2+ so the high osmotic pressure of the soil solution
is responsible for low productivity (Mata et al., 2014).
Ca2+ reported high values in the Salitre rural zone with
42.01 cmol kg-1, followed by las Vueltas with 30 cmol
kg-1 while the lowest values were found in the village of
Rincon de Vargas with 4.236 cmol kg-1. Mercado et al.
(2011) obtained Ca values higher than 6 cmol kg-1 in an
average of 89.5% of the total area studied.
The sulphates (SO4
=) were the dominant anions,
mainly due to their high solubility, the area of Cebadero
presented an average of 93.298 mg kg-1 being the
highest value, followed by the area of Salitre with 54.238
mg kg-1; they are high values considering the ranges
established by Castro and Gómez (2010). In Figure 10,
the behavior of the sulphates in the district is observed,
48.90% of the area is at a low level (11 ppm), 48.86%
of the area presents an optimum range with 38 ppm and
the 0.30% of the district presents problems due to high
levels (64 ppm).
For chlorides (Cl-) the rural area el Resguardo reported
the value of the highest average with 42.80 mg kg-1
district (Figure 8). The Resguardo area had a mean value
of 7.28, that may be associated with the presence of salts
such as sodium chloride (NaCl2) (Mercado et al., 2011).
For the cations, it was evidenced that the element with
the greatest presence in DRACH soils was sodium,
followed by Ca in less quantity. Considering the ranges
provided by Castro and Gómez (2010), for Na greater
than 0.5 cmol kg-1 and for Ca higher than 6 cmol kg-
1, there is a high grade of salinization due to very high
concentration levels. In Figure 9, the behavior of Na
within the district is observed, 73.93% of the soils have
low concentrations with levels of 0.1 cmol kg-1, 21.49%
are in the middle range with values between 0.1-
0.5 cmol kg-1 and 4.57% have high levels with values
greater than 0.5 cmol kg-1. High values were found
in the Salitre area with 4.29 cmol kg-1, followed by El
Cebadero with 4.085 cmol kg-1 that may be related to
the saline deposits (Na2SO4 and NaCl2), which are of the
characteristics of the thermal sources of Paipa (Moreno
and Fechi, 2006). Taiz et al. (2006), mention that the
Na concentration of a sodium soil can not only directly
damage the plants, but also degrade the structure
of the soil, reducing the porosity and being a highly
hygroscopic element, it traps the water molecules of the
soil, which causes the water of hydration to decrease for
other nutrients, also affecting the structure of the soil by
breaking up its particles (Madueño et al., 2006). Besides
that the hydrolysis of the sodium clays, leads to the
alkalinization of the prole, and these cause an intense
mineral alteration (Mata et al., 2014). While if Ca2+ and
8589
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Determination of predominant soluble salts in soils of the irrigation district alto Chicamocha of Boyacá
Figure 9. Spatial distribution of Na2+ in the DRACH soils.
followed by Siatame in Sogamoso with 30.76 mg kg-1 the
behavior of these is noted in Table 3. These latter are
at a low level according to Castro and Gómez (2010),
where the high ranges are 142 mg kg-1 and above. Qadir
et al. (2007) state that the predominant soluble salts
in saline soils are sulfates, chlorides, bicarbonates of
Na2+, Ca+2 and Mg+2. Na is the cation that most binds to
sulfates and chlorides to form salts, with less frequency
found potassium and bicarbonates, carbonates and
nitrates (Dorronsoro, 2011; Ramírez, 2011).
Fernández et al. (2007) indicate that the high variability
of the parameters mentioned above may be due to the
fact that soil properties such as interchangeable cations,
sulphates and others not related to soil morphology are
affected by the use and / or management. Similarly,
Narváez et al. (2014) indicate that in saline soils,
the depth of the water table, the evapotranspiration
rate, and other geohydrological factors impact on the
chemical properties, resulting also in a high spatial and
temporal variability of the same. According to this, the
high variability obtained for the parameters is generated
by the interaction of the different properties of the soil
with its immediate environment, this means, agricultural
practices, variations in climate among others, agricultural
practices, variations in climate among others, cause
Figure 10. Spatial distribution of SO4
= in the DRACH soils.
Na2+ cmol kg-1
Low 0.1
Medium 0.1-0.5
High -0.5
DISTRICT DIVISIONS
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SO4
= (ppm)
<11 (Low)
<38 (Less than Optima)
>38 (Superior to Optimal)
>64 (High)
DISTRICT DIVISIONS
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Walteros I, Cely G, Moreno D
changes at different scales (Mallarino and Wittry, 2004).
For the waters, it was found that the water tables
oscillated between 0.54 and 2.99 m in the irrigation
units San Rafael in Nobsa and Cuche in Santa Rosa
de Viterbo; these values coincide with those reported
by Castro and Gómez (2015) who argue that in the
dry season about 30% of the area, the reading and
analysis levels of the District’s aeration prole zone
are between 0.0 and 1.0 m, while in the critical rainy
season there is a rise in the water table, reaching times
of ooding, which can affect up to 45% of the area. It
is worth noting that the waters are frequented by sales
of soluble, the upper basins of the Chicamocha River
have geological units composed of a very important
lithological record, mostly composed of sedimentary
rocks with some outcrops of igneous rocks in the Paipa
and Iza surroundings (Moreno and Fechi, 2006). The
phreatic mantles are found on calcareous materials
can cause salinization, if these are located in climates,
they are characterized by values of evapotranspiration
superior to those of precipitation, the phreatic levels
can ascend by the capillarity to the surface of the soils
(IGAC, 2012).
Water quality analysis for irrigation was carried out in
31 wells (Figure 11). According to the classication
of waters by to the Riverside standards (US Salinity
Laboratory - USLS), all of them have problems of
salinity and sodium (Olías et al., 2005). The average
value of the E.C was 3.12 dS m-1, for pH was 6.34.
In this regard, Taiz et al. (2006) mention that the
higher the concentration of salts in water, the greater
the electric conductivity and the lower the osmotic
potential (the higher the osmotic pressure). The above
allows to relate the E.C. of the soil with the water used
for irrigation, in some units such as Ministry where E.C
of 4.29 dS m-1 was observed in the soil and 9.79 dS
m-1 in the water; in Cuche with 4.66 dS m-1 in water
and 5.64 dS m-1 in soil, and nally in the irrigation unit
of Vueltas with 8.54 dS m-1 in water and 2.6 dS m-1
on soil, indicating that water used for irrigation may be
contributing to the salinization of soils in the district.
Figure 11. Spatial location of the water sampling points in the DRACH.
According to investigations by Alfaro and Ingeominas
(2010), in Paipa springs there are problems with
sulphated waters, as well as high concentrations of Na2+,
K, Ca+2, Mg+2, Cl-1, SO4
=, HCO3. For Porras (2010), in
the present thermal manifestations, alkaline-chlorinated
waters appear, probably these are related to deep
hydraulic circuits (reservoir), sulphate-alkaline waters
that owe their origin to the addition of alkaline sulphates
to the preceding waters, the area is characterized by the
predominance of essentially Cretaceous and Tertiary
sedimentary rocks, and the presence of possible
volcanic necks with an approximate age of 2.5 million
years, in addition there are thermal manifestations of
high temperature, probably due to the presence of an
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Rev. Fac. Nac. Agron. Medellín 71(3): 8581-8592. 2018
Determination of predominant soluble salts in soils of the irrigation district alto Chicamocha of Boyacá
acidic magmatic intrusion, located at a depth of 5 km.
There is possible a presence of two thermal aquifers in
granular and silicic sedimentary rocks with predominant
secondary permeability is highlighted, in addition, the
Honda or Río Salitre stream carries a high quantity
of salts, supplied by the thermal springs that appear
in the middle and lower area of the sub-basin (POT
Paipa, 2012). Moreno and Fechi (2006), afrm that the
presence of thermomineral waters in the Paipa sector are
affecting the DRACH soil, due to the fact that at present
they are drained to a great extent to the Vargas canal,
generating: disaggregation of soil particles caused by
sodium sulphates, ionic contamination by chlorine and
sodium, mainly due to inadequate handling of thermal or
sulfuric waters (IGAC, 2012).
CONCLUSIONS
The main soluble salt present in the soil was sodium
sulphate (Na2SO4), followed by calcium sulfate (Ca2SO4),
sodium chloride (NaCl2) and calcium chloride (CaCl2),
which are highly soluble and toxic for the plants.
It was found that the areas with the highest problem of
salinization are in Tibasosa in Patrocinio, Ucaca, Las
Vueltas zones; in Santa Rosa de Viterbo in the Salitre
zone and nally in Duitama in Cebadero and Higueras
zones, as they have electrical conductivities greater
than 2 dS m-1.
The groundwater of the sector plays an important role
in the dynamics of salinization of the DRACH, due to
the connection with the upper basin of the Chicamocha
River, which presents geological units composed of a
very important lithological record.
The presence of the Paipa springs with sulfated water
problems and high concentrations of cations and anions
strongly inuence the salinization of DRACH soils.
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