Home / Glossary / Soil Salinization

Soil Salinization土壤盐渍化

Soil salinization is the accumulation of soluble salts in the surface layer, which impedes water uptake by the crop and suppresses growth. It occurs mainly in arid and semi-arid regions where evaporation exceeds precipitation, and in protected cultivation where fertilizer is over-applied and leaching is insufficient.

Key points

Causes fall into two groups: natural (evaporative concentration and highly mineralised groundwater) and anthropogenic (over-application of fertilizer, poor irrigation water quality, and protected cultivation without rainfall leaching).
Protected cultivation is a high-risk setting for anthropogenic salinization: continuous fertilization, no rainfall leaching and strong evaporation cause salts to accumulate in the surface layer year after year.
The indicative measures are soil electrical conductivity and total soluble salts; affected crops show uneven emergence, poor root development and scorched leaf margins.
The remedy is to remove salts rather than merely displace them: leaching with heavy irrigation requires a matching drainage system, otherwise salts re-accumulate as the water table rises.

Related terms

Soil Conditioner

A soil conditioner is a material applied to soil to improve its physical…

Soil Acidification

Soil acidification is the process by which soil pH falls and exchangeabl…

Fertigation

Fertigation is the technique of combining irrigation and fertilization, …