Tidal irrigation is the subsurface

irrigation Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has been devel ...

of levee soils in

coastal plain A coastal plain is flat, low-lying land adjacent to a sea coast. A fall line commonly marks the border between a coastal plain and a piedmont area. Some of the largest coastal plains are in Alaska and the southeastern United States. The Gulf Co ...

s with river water under tidal influence. It is applied in (semi) arid zones at the mouth of a large river

estuary An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environm ...

or delta where a considerable tidal range (some 2 m) is present. The river discharge must be large enough to guarantee a sufficient flow of fresh water into the sea so that no salt water intrusion occurs in the river mouth. The irrigation is effectuated by digging ''tidal canals'' from the river shore into the main land that will guide the river water inland at high tide. For the irrigation to be effective the soil must have a high infiltration capacity to permit the entry of sufficient water in the soil to cover the

evapotranspiration Evapotranspiration (ET) is the combined processes by which water moves from the earth’s surface into the atmosphere. It covers both water evaporation (movement of water to the air directly from soil, canopies, and water bodies) and transp ...

demand of the crop. At low tide, the canals and the soil drain out again, which promotes the aeration of the soil.

See also