Renewed hope for saline soils
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| Credit: FAO |
By suiting the plant to the soil, salt-affected land can become sustainable by making use of salt-tolerant plants and saline groundwater for irrigation. Over one hundred species of salt-tolerant plant, including grasses, shrubs and a variety of trees, can be used for human food, animal fodder, timber, fuel, green manure or for processing into industrial products, such as paper and biogas. Hundreds of thousands of hectares could become much more productive by making use of species such as acacia, atriplex, eucalyptus or salt-tolerant grasses. Fresh water, which may be scarce but available at deeper depths, can then be reserved for human and animal consumption.
Selection and cultivation of salt-tolerant species that will be of local economic benefit is one part of a six year inter-regional IAEA Model Project to reclaim salt-affected barren land in eight countries (Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Morocco, Myanmar, Pakistan, Syria and Tunisia). Isotopic analysis (particularly of chlorine) is being used to monitor the movement of saline water and to assess the suitability of the salt-tolerant plants. Neutron moisture probes are also being used for better irrigation management: to avoid excess water use, leading to seepage, raising of the water table and, with it, bringing salts to the soil surface.
