Physiological Responses of Grapevine to Salt Stress and Remediation by CaSO4 Amendments in Central Valley of California

Proper management of salt accumulation in soils is crucial to prevent long-term reductions in productivity, especially where irrigation water is saline or sodic. Reclamation of saline-sodic soils requires the removal of most of the exchangeable Na+ and the replacement by Ca2+ in the root zone. One of the most effective practices to achieve this result is the use of chemical amendments containing calcium, such as calcium sulfate (CaSO4).

This project started in 2019 intending to compare different forms and doses of calcium sulfate and their effect on the physiology of grapevine growing in a sodic soil located in the southern San Joaquin Valley. The first year was devoted to locate the experimental site, perform a baseline of soil and plant conditions, and applying the treatments over 17 acres in a randomized complete block design with 6 treatments and 4 replications. In the second year, we monitored the soil conditions, plant physiology, and soil composition both on the ground and with the aid of satellite imagery and started to observe the first effects of the treatments.