Sugar beet (Beta Vulgaris L) plant was grown in two field experiments to investigate the effect of irrigation with high and moderately saline waters and irrigation intervals on soil properties and yield of sugar beet crop during 2006/2007 and 2007/2008 at El- Hamoul region, Kafr El Sheikh Governorate. Main plots were assigned to irrigation intervals i.e. two, three and four weeks, (I1, I2 and I3 respectively), while subplots were irrigated with fresh water S1 (0.5 dSm-1), mixed water S2 (1.8 dSm-1) and drainage water S3 (3.8 dSm-1) during the whole season except planting irrigation which irrigated with fresh water for all subplots.
Results showed that treatment (I1 S1), irrigation every two weeks with fresh water produced the highest sugar beet yield to be 27.03 ton/Fed while treatment (I3 S3) irrigation every four weeks with drainage water produced the lowest yield (18.37 ton/ Fed). Irrigation every four weeks with fresh water (I3 S1) gave the highest sugar percent to be 19.3% while irrigation every two weeks with drainage water (I1 S3) gave the lowest sugar percent (13.2%). Irrigation every two weeks with fresh water (I1 S1) reduced the soil salinity by 18.8% after the first season and 30% after the second season. While irrigation every four weeks with drainage water 3.8 dSm-1 (I3 S3) reduced soil salinity by 2% and 9.5% dSm-1after the first and second seasons respectively. .Also, the results showed that values of bulk density increased with increasing salinity levels of irrigation water and irrigation intervals in both surface and subsurface soil layers. The lowest values were found in surface soil (0-15cm), ranged from 1.09 to 1.23 Mg m-3, while the highest values were found in subsurface soil, (45-60cm) and ranged from 1.24 to 1.30 Mg m-3.
Generally, Irrigation with saline water decreases soil salinity as long as the salt levels in the water are less than that of the soil. This means that with using drainage or mixed water with salts levels of (0.5, 1.8, 3.8 dSm-1) the soil salinity decreased.