I have an update on the strawberry field described in the January 6 post of this blog suffering extensive salt damage .
As you may recall, the determination on finding all of that salt damage was to immediately overhead irrigate to wash the accumulated salts away from the plant roots, and the grower did indeed do that already on the next day as shown in the first photo below.
As the reader can see from the second and third photos below, the recovery of this field is now near complete. The plants are large, green with flower and fruit formation just beginning. While the field seems to be have been set back some on the production cycle from the injury caused by salt, there is no doubt that the situation is a much happier one right now than in January, with nary a sign of salt burn anywhere and plants well into recovery.
Three soil samples taken from the field April 24, 2012 gave salinity at 1.3 dS/m, 1.5 dS/M and 2.3 dS/M, giving the impression that much of the salt from January had been now leached out.
Attached Images:
Strawberry field severely affected by salt January 6. Some plants even look like they are dead.
Strawberry field April 5
Strawberry plants April 5. Touch of leaf spot on leaves toward top of page, but nothing to worry about anywhere.