Comprehensive Approaches in Rehabilitating Salt Affected Soils: A Review on Indian Perspective

Land, a non-renewable resource, is central to all primary production system. Increasing pressure of populationgrowth, economic development, climate change, land use changes, and environmental pollutionlead to different types of land degradation including salinization. Salt affected soils are normally uncultivated, uninhabited bare lands with poor quality and suffer from different stress conditions. These soils are generally not conducive for regeneration of vegetation. Salt affected soils are usually barren but potentially productive. Rehabilitation includes control of extension of salt affected soils, its reclamation, stabilization and eco-restoration. The rehabilitation of these lands is common through chemical means and engineering approaches. Extension of salt affected soils is controlled by utilizing the resource on sustainable basis. Good quality irrigation water and sufficient drainage facility accompanying with other physical measures help in reclamation of soil. Chemical reclamation requires different types of amendments for different soils. Biological reclamation of salt affected soil is more important from stabilization of soil quality and eco-restoration points of view. Selection of salt tolerant plants and crops are very important for cultivation in salt affected soils. Improved production systems including horticultural, pastoral, agri-horticultural, silvi-pastoral, silvi-cultural, agroforestry are the components of integrated farming system in bio-saline agriculture. The judicious use of the reclaimed lands for different production purposes and restoration of quality of soil through people’s participation in rehabilitative work is the way to get out of problem of salt affected soil.