Developments in Soil Salinity Assessment and Reclamation : Innovative Thinking and Use of Marginal Soil and Water Resources in Irrigated Agriculture

This important addition to the technical literature of ecology is a storehouse of information on marginal soils and waters from around the world. Soil salinity is considered the most important component of land degradation in arid and semi-arid regions, it is dynamic, spreading globally in over 100 countries and covering more than one billion hectares. It is causing significant losses in irrigated agriculture due to poor understanding and management. There have been significant developments in technologies to assess, map and monitor soil salinization spatially and temporally using remote sensing, geographical information system, geophysical methods and modeling, from regional, national to farm levels. The papers assembled here cover topics such as technological advances in soil salinity mapping and monitoring, management and reclamation of salt-affected soils, use of marginal quality water for crop production, salt-tolerance mechanisms in plants, biosaline agriculture and agroforestry, microbiological interventions for marginal soils, opportunities and challenges in using marginal waters, and soil and water management in irrigated agriculture. Focusing on arid and semi-arid regions, the book details recent developments in soil salinity and reclamation aspects in an applied context. Once this information is properly assimilated and applied in the field by potential stakeholders the agriculture scientists and farmers, marginal soil productivity may be increased leading to improved livelihood for farmers. Front Matter....Pages i-li Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Developments in Soil Salinity Assessment, Modeling, Mapping, and Monitoring from Regional to Submicroscopic Scales....Pages 3-43 Soil Salinity Modeling, Approaches, and Key Issues....Pages 45-59 Quantification of the Salt Content of Soils Under Different Climatic Conditions on a National Scale in South Africa....Pages 61-73 Soil Salinization Assessment and Monitoring at Boe Klue District, Nan Province, Northern Thailand....Pages 75-86 Soil Salinity Mapping Using Multi-Temporal Satellite Images in Agricultural Fields of Syrdarya Province of Uzbekistan....Pages 87-98 The New Map of Soil Salinity and Regularities in Distribution of Salt-Affected Soils in Russia....Pages 99-111 Soil Salinity Mapping in the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt Using Geographic Information System and Remote Sensing Techniques....Pages 113-125 Spatial Variability of Soil Salinization as Judged from the Comparison of Soil Maps and Remote Sensing Materials for Different Years in Uzbekistan....Pages 127-139 Soil Salinity in the Central Arid Region of Iran: Esfahan Province....Pages 141-153 Mapping the Risk of Soil Salinization Using Electromagnetic Induction and Non-parametric Geostatistics....Pages 155-166 Spatiotemporal Variability and Mapping of Groundwater Salinity in Tadla: Geostatistical Approach....Pages 167-182 Spatial Analysis Using a Proportional Effect Semivariogram Model....Pages 183-197 Spatial Monitoring of Soil Salinity and Prospective Conservation Study for Sinnuris District Soils, Fayoum, Egypt....Pages 199-217 Geographical Distribution of Soil Salinity, Alkalinity, and Calcicity Within Fayoum and Tamia Districts, Fayoum Governorate, Egypt....Pages 219-236 Using Remotely Sensed Soil Conductivity to Monitor Restoration Activities on Vernal Pools, Northern Great Basin, USA....Pages 237-249 Mapping and Monitoring of Salt-Affected Soils Using Remote Sensing and Geographical Information System for the Reclamation of Canal Command Area of Jammu, India....Pages 251-261 Front Matter....Pages 263-263 Management of Saline Lands in Oman: Learning to Live with Salinity....Pages 265-281 Rice Production in Salt-Affected Soils of Pakistan Using Different Reclamation Techniques....Pages 283-293 Marginal-Quality Water Use as an Ameliorant for Tile-Drained Saline-Sodic Soils in a Rice-Wheat Production System....Pages 295-311 Reclamation of Degraded Vertisols Under Cassava in Arid Environments of India....Pages 313-326 Front Matter....Pages 263-263 Sustainable Management of Salt-Affected Soils and Poor-Quality Ground Waters for Enhancing Crop Production....Pages 327-334 Controlling Sodic Soil Erosion by Electrolytes and Polyacrylamide Application....Pages 335-348 Practical, Productive, and Environment-Friendly Utilization of Different Categories of Salt-Affected Soils in Arid and Semiarid Regions of Pakistan....Pages 349-356 The Reclamation Effects Should Be Considered for Saline Soil Criteria in Soil Classification System....Pages 357-363 Front Matter....Pages 365-365 Use of Marginal-Quality Waters for Sustainable Crop Production....Pages 367-381 Distichlis Spicata – A Salt- and Drought-Tolerant Plant Species with Minimum Water Requirements for Sustainable Agriculture in Desert Regions and Biological Reclamation of Desert Saline Soils....Pages 383-396 Relative Salinity Tolerance of 35 Lolium spp. Cultivars for Urban Landscape and Forage Use....Pages 397-403 Enhancing The Quality of Turfgrasses with Saline Groundwater....Pages 405-418 Plant Response to Saline-Water Irrigation in a Sicilian Vineyard....Pages 419-435 Yield and Growth Responses of Autochthonous Pearl Millet Ecotype ( Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.) Under Saline Water Irrigation in Tunisia....Pages 437-450 Use of Marginal Water for Salicornia bigelovii Torr. Planting in the United Arab Emirates....Pages 451-462 Performance of Chenopodium quinoa Under Salt Stress....Pages 463-478 Inducing Pea Plants for Conquering the Adverse Conditions of Saline Reclaimed Soils with Some Support Application....Pages 479-495 Prospects of Crop and Forage Production in Coastal Saline Soils of Bangladesh....Pages 497-520 Front Matter....Pages 521-521 Salt Response of Some Halophytes with Potential Interest in Reclamation of Saline Soils: Gas Exchange, Water Use Efficiency and Defence Mechanism....Pages 523-542 Salt Response of Halophytes with Potential Interest in Food Crops and Reclamation of Saline Soils: Growth, Water Relations, Mineral Content and Anatomical Adaptations....Pages 543-560 Biology and Physiology of Avicennia Marina in the Coastal Conditions of Southern Morocco....Pages 561-576 Front Matter....Pages 577-577 Integrating Agroforestry and Pastures for Soil Salinity Management in Dryland Ecosystems in Aral Sea Basin....Pages 579-602 Atriplex Production Under Saline Soil and Saline Irrigation Practices....Pages 603-614 Exploring Saline Land Improvement Through Testing Leptochloa fusca and Sporobolus virginicus in Egypt....Pages 615-629 Front Matter....Pages 577-577 Improvement of Soil Quality Through Agroforestry System for Central Plain Zone of Uttar Pradesh India....Pages 631-637 Front Matter....Pages 639-639 Bacterial Exo-Polysaccharides: A Biological Tool for the Reclamation of Salt-Affected Soils....Pages 641-658 Front Matter....Pages 659-659 Agriculture Use of Marginal Water in Egypt: Opportunities and Challenges....Pages 661-679 Marginal Water in Agriculture and Food Crisis in Sub-Saharan Africa....Pages 681-697 Front Matter....Pages 699-699 Water Quality of Medjerda Wadi Used for Irrigation Purpose (Eastern Algeria)....Pages 701-716 Exploring Soil Salinity Management in Entisols Using Trickle Irrigation System....Pages 717-722 Suitability of Surface Water from Mouillah Wadi of Algeria for Irrigation Purposes....Pages 723-735 Water Use Efficiency for Leaching Saline-Sodic Clayey Soils: Case Study of Tina Plain Area of Egypt....Pages 737-747 The Performance of Sunflower, Turnip and Forage Corn in Uptaking Some Essential Elements and Cadmium Under Wastewater Irrigation....Pages 749-758 Sustainable Agriculture Through Integrated Soil Fertility Management on Degraded Lands....Pages 759-768 Use of Conservation Tillage System in Semiarid Region to Ensure Wheat Food Security in Pakistan....Pages 769-782 Effect of Salinity and Bentonite on the Characteristics of Mineral Soil and Behavior of Leguminous Plants ( Vicia faba L.)....Pages 783-794 Back Matter....Pages 795-808