Effects of saline water irrigation on crops cultivation in Tra Vinh, Vietnam

This talk, given at the third Delta Talks webinar organised by the CGIAR Initiative on Asian Mega-Deltas and Wageningen University & Research, presented results from the Deltas under Pressure project on salinity intrusion and drought in the Mekong River Delta. The team ran semi-controlled greenhouse experiments in Tra Vinh to assess crop growth, yield and salt accumulation in the soil under saline irrigation. Beetroot and peanut yields fell significantly only under continuous irrigation at 2 ppt, while maize yield was not significantly affected at the concentrations tested. The speakers suggested that moderately saline brackish water could be an irrigation option for climate change adaptation, while noting that the results come from a single growing season and that long-term effects on the soil need further study.