Soil Salinization and Its Impact on Plants

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Humans and the environment on which we live relying on soil for plant growth, provision of water and the storage of carbon. From that point we can infer that soil is linked to everything around us and plays many significant roles in sustaining life on earth. Soil is defined as the surface of the earth’s crust. Soil degradation is defined by Environment and Heritage, a conservation body as the decline in soil quality caused by its improper use, usually for agricultural, pastural, industrial or urban purposes. Soil contains various metals and living organisms. All the food, which humans use, are produced on soil. Soil also serves as a habitat for some living things. Because of these important roles played by soil, damages to the soil will result in crippling effects to food supply production leading to possible food shortage, and rising food costs. The trends of the major soil degradation are almost difficult to measure because they are constantly changing. Soil degradation such as, the erosion, organic matter decline, compaction, salinization, landslides, contamination, sealing, biodiversity decline is the significant soil degradation. These degradations occur at the land surface as a poor agriculture. Soil Salinity is known as the salt content in the soil, and the process of increasing the salt content is known as salinization. It is considered to be as a significant environmental problem because people are more worried about the other environmental problems and they are unaware how important it is while it keeps increasing. Not only are they unaware but they also contribute to exacerbate the problem. Soil salinity appears as white or light brown crusts on the surface. The importance of soil is stores and filter water as it pass... ... middle of paper ... ...he air would be filled with carbon and there would not be any oxygen as well. So, humans have to develop ways to fight soil salinity and all soil degradations as well. References: 1- Provin, T., & Pitt, J. (n.d.). Managing Soil Salinity. Retrieved from http://soiltesting.tamu.edu/publications/E-60.pdf 2- Thompson, A. (n.d.). Soils - salinity — Nature Society. Retrieved from http://www.natsoc.org.au/biosensitivefutures/part-4-facts-and-principles/ecological-issues/soils-salinity 3- Bolda/UCCE Santa Cruz, M. (n.d.). How are salts harmful to plants? Retrieved from http://ucanr.org/sites/uccesc/files/51474.pdf 4- Al-shammmary, S. (2007). Retrieved from http://docsdrive.com/pdfs/ansinet/ajps/2007/821-826.pdf 5- Cardon, G., Davis, J., Bauder, T., & Waskom, R. (2013, April 19). Managing Saline Soils. Retrieved from http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/crops/00503.html 6-

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