Soil salination indicators

Abstract

Soil salinity is one of the important soil properties that significantly affect agricultural production and environmental quality. A salinity indicator is a sign or symptom that suggests the soil is experiencing the impacts of salinity. Conventional chemical indicators of soil salinity include electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), and sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), while salt crystals and stains in surface soils are physical evidence of soil salinity. Indicator plant species have been commonly used in combination with physical and chemical indicators to determine soil salinity. The variation of environmental conditions may influence the behaviors of bioindicators. Therefore, it is important to determine the plant salt tolerance under similar environmental conditions when the tolerance range of plant species is used as an indication of soil salinity. This chapter discusses measurements of soil salinity, potential impacts of soil salinity on plant growth, and available soil salinity indicators, along with agricultural salinity management.