A Review of Soil-Improving Cropping Systems for Soil Salinization

Abstract

A major challenge of the Sustainable Development Goals linked to Agriculture, Food Security, and Nutrition, under the current global crop production paradigm, is that increasing crop yields often have negative environmental impacts. It is therefore urgent to develop and adopt optimal soil-improving cropping systems (SICS) that can allow us to decouple these system parameters. Soil salinization is a major environmental hazard that limits agricultural potential and is closely linked to agricultural mismanagement and water resources overexploitation, especially in arid climates. Here we review literature seeking to ameliorate the negative effect of soil salinization on crop productivity and conduct a global meta-analysis of 128 paired soil quality and yield observations from 30 studies. In this regard, we compared the effectivity of different SICS that aim to cope with soil salinization across 11 countries, in order to reveal those that are the most promising. The analysis shows that besides case-specific optimization of irrigation and drainage management, combinations of soil amendments, conditioners, and residue management can contribute to significant reductions of soil salinity while significantly increasing crop yields. These results highlight that conservation agriculture can also achieve the higher yields required for upscaling and sustaining crop production.

Responses to Water Deficit and Salt Stress in Silver Fir (Abies alba Mill.) Seedlings

“…Drought and soil salinity are considered the most adverse and critical environmental factors for plants, causing massive losses in agricultural production worldwide and, at the same time, substantially affecting the distribution of wild species in nature [1,2]. Drought and salinity affect more than 10 percent of total arable land, and desertification and salinization are rapidly spreading globally [3][4][5]. Accumulation of salts dissolved in irrigation water leads to the progressive 'secondary' salinization of irrigated cropland, especially in arid and semiarid regions, and this problem will worsen in the near future due to the effects of the present climate change [6].…”

Effect of Surface Straw Incorporation Rate on Water–Salt Balance and Maize Yield in Soil Subject to Secondary Salinization with Brackish Water Irrigation

“…For field management, tillage practice, surface mulching, or incorporation with organic (e.g., crop residue, biochar, and compost) or inorganic matter (e.g., plastic film, anthracite coal powder, and gravel) methods are commonly applied for reducing soil evaporation and regulating the salt vertical movement. Meanwhile, subsurface drainage or soil interlayers are reportedly useful in managing groundwater levels and reducing salt accumulation [9][10][11][12]. However, such measures are mainly conducted for soil amendment on primary salinization areas, and rarely on non-saline areas, for preventing or alleviating secondary salinization.…”

Phytoremediation: green technology for improving aquatic and terrestrial environments

“…So, harvesting of these plant species can permanently decrease salinity of treated soils. Most recently review on halophytoremediation (Nouri et al, 2017, Nikalje et al, 2019, Cuevas et al, 2019 confirm that targets of halophyte plant species have been concentrated on agricultural issues (desalination) for protecting or improving soil in order to higher production and/or environmental cleaning subjects (heavy metals decontamination). Desalination researches mostly concentrate on A) decrease in soil salinity and sodicity, B) soil quality assessment after desalination with culture of Hordeum vulgare L., and C) halophyte plant capacity for accumulation of salt (Rabhi et al, 2010).…”