Response of Woody Species to Salinity (original) (raw)

Books in soils, plants, and the environment, 1999

Abstract

Saline soils are of worldwide occurrence, but their incidence is more severe in arid and semiarid regions. Higher evapotranspiration than precipitation in these areas aggravates the situation further. The capillary rise, often of bad-quality water, brings salts to the surface from the deeper horizons, which are not leached down and out of the root zone. In the presence of a shallow water table, the process of salinization of soil surface is further accelerated. In spite of our efforts to counter the menace of salinity, it remains a major threat to agriculture. It is affecting yields on large areas and is creeping into fertile lands at an alarming pace. In most of the developing countries, the ever-increasing population and soil degradation at a rate higher than reclamation make the problem of saline soils even worse. These lands, which are abundant, are not generally suited for most of the field crops. The solution lies in leaching the excess salts out of the rootzone and subsequent drainage. Sinking of tube wells and the installation of tile drains may help, but this is a costly proposition. The persisting demand for conventional agricultural production will continuously recharge the groundwater and subsequent discharge will make the reversal of the situation unlikely at least in the near future. Being a long term problem, soil salinity requires suitable land utilization choices to be made. One option may be the planting of trees and shrubs, many of which can withstand much higher salinities than most of the conventional agricultural crops [1]. The following sections highlight some of the candidate species for salinity and relevant soil

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