Evaluation of Sulfur Burner for Salinity Management in Irrigated Cotton Fields in the West Texas.

Cotton occupies more than half of the irrigated acreage in the far west Texas region that includes El Paso and Hudspeth counties. The productivity of irrigated cotton in El Paso and Hudspeth counties has been declining due to increased salinity. Currently growers in the region use different methods to manage salinity. These include tillage practices such as chiseling or using backhoe to mix surface and subsurface soils or chemical methods such as application of elemental sulfur and gypsum to correct sodicity and then drain the soil to reduce salinity. However, these methods are expensive (tillage practices can cost in excess of $1000 per acre) and gypsum and sulfur application is less effective. Sulfur burner is a relatively new and safe approach. The process involves controlled burning of perlated sulfur (100% pure) to produce sulfurous acid and eventually sulfuric acid. The resultant acid is mixed with irrigation water and upon irrigation, native calcium present as calcite and gypsum will become soluble and can counter the sodium on exchange complex. This could improve soil permeability and reduce salinity. This poster presents the preliminary results of a study that is evaluating effects of sulfur burner treated irrigation water on soil salinity and sodicity.