Varieties of barley ISABON03 (A) and S.Pare03 (B) were grown in lysimètres and irrigated with water of different salinity, corresponding to 3.7, 15 and 30 meq Cl/l.Two methods were used to study the composition of soil water and the development of soil salinity : soil water sampling by porous cups and salt balance. The comparison between net nitrogen supply and nitrogen uptake by the plant shows that the latter is higher than the nitrogen supply in all treatments of variety A and in variety B irrigated with fresh water. On the contrary, saline treatments of variety B absorb smaller nitrogen amounts than the supply. Apparently, a part of the nitrogen stored in the soil from the previous year was mobilized to meet crop requirements. Salinity has a significant effect on grain and straw yield. Variety A is, however, more productive than B, this reaching about 50% of variety A yield.
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Water use of variety A is slightly higher than variety B because of a longer growing cycle. The result is a higher water efficiency, of the order of 2.7 kg/m3, in variety A.
