ESPAÑOL

Abstract

The agricultural salt-affected soils cause degradation and reduction of crop production, adversely impacting the economy of farmers. The objective of this research was to determine the effect of water quality and soil salinity on rice production in the watershed of the Yaguachi River, Ecuador. A total of 99 soil samples were georeferenced and chemically analyzed in a surface of ​​19 027 ha from the studied area. Representative water samples were analyzed as well. Soil pH and electrical conductivity (EC) maps were elaborated and a regression analysis was performed between EC and rice yield in 34 producing farms. It was found that the predominant texture of the soils is clayey, with an average pH of 6.73. Regarding EC, 38.4% of the samples presented values between 3.8 and 7.1 dS m^-1. Rice yield gradually decreased as it was cultivated in soils with higher salinity and it was found that 26.81% of the yield loss is attributed to the increase in electrical conductivity. The salinity of the irrigation water and other quality indicators such as percentage of soluble sodium and SAR classified the water with severe restriction. However, given that crop yield did not show as drastic a reduction as expected, it can be pointed out that the rice crop performs under the conditions of the canton of San Jacinto de Yaguachi as moderately tolerant to salinity.