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Submitted to: Encyclopedia of Water
Publication Type: Book / Chapter Publication Acceptance Date: 10/23/2004 Publication Date: 12/1/2005 Citation: Corwin, D.L. 2005. Soil salinity. The Encyclopedia of Water (Volume 5). J.H. Lehr. (ed.) John Wiley & Sons, Inc. New York, NY. pp: 673-677. Interpretive Summary: Soil salinity consists of the total salts present in the liquid portion of the soil. The accumulation of salt in soil has a detrimental effect on crop productivity, which has severely effected 20 million ha worldwide. A concise discussion is presented of the sources, effects, significance, global impacts, laboratory and field methods of measurement, and plant tolerance of soil salinity. In particular, recent advances in field measurement and mapping of soil salinity are presented. The discussion is designed to provide general knowledge of soil salinity from an agricultural perspective. This article is part of the Encyclopedia of Water. Technical Abstract: Soil salinity is defined as the total salts present in the liquid portion of the soil. The significance of soil salinity lies in its effect on crop productivity primarily on irrigated agricultural soils and soils with shallow depths to groundwater with over 20 million ha severely effected by salinity worldwide. A general discussion of the sources, effects, global impacts, laboratory and field methods of measurement, and plant tolerance of soil salinity is presented. In particular, recent advances in field measurement and mapping of soil salinity are discussed. The concise discussion is designed to provide a basic understanding of soil salinity from an agricultural perspective. |
