Chemical and physical characteristics of soil and water in an onion field and their relation to the plant performance and mineral nutrition were tested. It was found a soil porosity appropiate for root growth in the ridge and bigh soil compactation at the botton of the furrows. Consistency limits showed that the soil can tolerate tillage practices within a moderately high moisture range. Electrical conductivity of water and soil extract were high, wich could affect the crop unless appropiate management practices and adopted.Tissue levels of phosphorous and potassium were found to be defficient even though there appropiate levels of the letterin the soil. This was attributed, at least partially, to the high calcium content that could exert some anthagonic effect | Se estudiaron diversas caracteristicas fisicas y quimicas del suelo y el agua de riego, y su relacion con el desarrollo y estado nutricional del cultivo de cebolla, hibrido 429 (Asgrow), en la zona de Altagracia, estado Lara, Venezuela. Se encontro una porosidad de suelo adecuada para el desarrollo de las raices a nivel de los camellones y una fuerte compactacion al fondo de los surcos. Los limites de consistencia mostraron que el suelo puede tolerar labores de labranza dentro de un rango moderado de humedad. La salinidad del suelo y del agua son altas, lo cual podria, a mediano plazo, afectar al cultivo a menos que se empleen practicas adecuadas de manejo. Los niveles de fosforo y potasio en el tejido vegetal estuvieron por debajo del rango de suficiencia. A pesarde lo anterior, en el suelo se encontraron valores relativamente altos de potasio, discordancia esta que fue atribuida, al menos en parte, al alto contenido de calcio, el cual pudo ejercer un efecto antagonico en la absorcion de dicho elemento.

This volume is based on the working session of the European commission on agriculture on water resources and irrigation held in Romania in 1972. The papers gathered in this volume give a wide review of experiences of reclamation of saline and alkali soils. The role of subsurface drainage is deeply emphazised. One paper takes also into account the irrigation water qualities