The potential of salt-tolerant plants for utilisation of saline water
1997
Choukr-Allah, R. (Institut Agronomique et Veterinaire Hassan II, Agadir (Morocco))
Populations in developing countries are growing so quickly that land and water are unable to sustain them. In most developing countries, prime farmland and fresh water are fully utilised. Although irrigation can be employed to bring land in arid areas into production, it often leads to salinization. The global importance of salt-affected soils can be explained by their wide distribution on all continents, covering about 10 per cent of the total surface of dry land. Salt-tolerant plants, therefore, may provide a sensible alternative for many developing countries. In some cases, successful rehabilitation of degraded land is usually preferable, in terms of resources conservation, to opening new land. Groundwater too saline for irrigating conventional crops can be used to grow salt-tolerant plants. Even the thousands of kilometres of coastal deserts in developing countries may serve as new agricultural land, with the use of sea water for irrigation of salt tolerant plants. These plants can be grown using land and water unsuitable for conventional crops and can provide food, fuel, fodder, fibber, resin, essential oils and pharmaceutical products and can be used for landscape reintegration. This paper will cover the experiences and opportunities of the agricultural use of saline land and water. The goal of this review is to create greater awareness of salt-tolerant plants, their current and potential uses, and the special needs they may fill in developing countries.
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