Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Soluble salts are not leached from these soils, and in some cases they build up to levels that curtail plant [49] and microbial growth. [50] Soil profiles in arid and semi-arid regions are also apt to accumulate carbonates and certain types of expansive clays ( calcrete or caliche horizons).
Detrimental effects on plant growth and yield; Damage to infrastructure (roads, bricks, corrosion of pipes and cables) Reduction of water quality for users, sedimentation problems, increased leaching of metals, [6] especially copper, cadmium, manganese and zinc. Soil erosion ultimately, when crops are too strongly affected by the amounts of salts.
Consequences include corrosion damage, reduced plant growth, erosion due to loss of plant cover and soil structure, and water quality problems due to sedimentation. Salination occurs due to a combination of natural and human-caused processes. Arid conditions favour salt accumulation. This is especially apparent when soil parent material is saline.
It has been found that food contamination from fertilizer is of little concern as plants accumulate little fluoride from the soil; of greater concern is the possibility of fluoride toxicity to livestock that ingest contaminated soils. [98] [99] Also of possible concern are the effects of fluoride on soil microorganisms. [98] [99] [100]
In agriculture, leaching is the loss of water-soluble plant nutrients from the soil, due to rain and irrigation. Soil structure, crop planting, type and application rates of fertilizers, and other factors are taken into account to avoid excessive nutrient loss.
Establishing salt-tolerant plants can improve salt discharge rates and improve soil health. Improvements undertaken at a catchment scale bring many benefits, not the least of which is providing for increased agricultural and associated regional productivity – using water for production that otherwise would contribute to an environmental problem.
Soil fertility refers to the ability of soil to sustain agricultural plant growth, i.e. to provide plant habitat and result in sustained and consistent yields of high quality. [3] It also refers to the soil's ability to supply plant/crop nutrients in the right quantities and qualities over a sustained period of time.
Salt tolerance of crops is the maximum salt level a crop tolerates without losing its productivity while it is affected negatively at higher levels. The salt level is often taken as the soil salinity or the salinity of the irrigation water.