Phytoremediation of Saline Soils for Sustainable Agricultural Productivity

Abstract

Salinization of soils is one of the major factors which severely affect the agricultural productivity worldwide. Due to salinity, more than half a billion hectares of land are not being properly used for crop production. Thus, there is a need to search means to improve saline soils so that such soils could support highly productive and meaningful land-use systems to meet the current challenges of global food security. Although permanent solution of soil salinity problem necessitates a sound drainage system to manage the rising water table, this option, being energy-and cost-intensive cannot be employed on a large scale on vast areas. Phytoremediation or biological approach, i.e., plant-based strategies for improvement of deteriorated soils is an appropriate option. Phytoremediation of saline soils can be done by cultivating suitable plant species as well as by Exploiting the ability of plant roots to improve the dissolution and enhance levels of Ca in soil solution to efficiently remove Na from the soil cation exchange complex and leach it from the root zone. During the amelioration process, soil-aggregates stability, root proliferation, soil hydraulic properties and availability of nutrients to plants are also improved. Such improvement in soil properties facilitates cultivation of less tolerant plants, improves the environment in general, and the climatic conditions by enhancing carbon sequestration.

Halophyte Common Ice Plants: A Future Solution to Arable Land Salinization

“…The increase in pollution and arable land depletion means that different methods of recovering pollutants from soils are required. Plants with this ability have been investigated by several researchers [102][103][104][105].…”

“…Phytoremediation, used to treat metal pollution, has also been introduced to overcome the problem of salinity, and salt-removing species have been used to control salinity and decrease NaCl concentrations [103,104,106]. Phytoremediation is defined as the use of plants to remove pollutants from the environment and to render them harmless [107].…”

The Common Ice Plant (Mesembryanthemum crystallinum L.)–Phytoremediation Potential for Cadmium and Chromate-Contaminated Soils

“…High soil salinity and contamination with heavy metals are problems of particular environmental concern and often occur concomitantly as a result of industrial activities [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]. Main sources of contamination with heavy metals and metalloids are mining, metallurgy, transport, tanneries, paint and wood protection industries, production of plastics and mineral fertilizers.…”

The Growth, productivity and nutritional status of Salicornia brachiata Roxb. cultivated in saline soils supplemented with organic manures under sea water irrigation

“…The sea water induced increase in sugar content with increasing age of control plants might be due to the starch-sugar inter-conversion to provide more sugar for osmoprotection (Slama et al, 2015). An increasing sugar content and corresponding decrease in the starch at higher salinities have been reported in several halophytes (Ashraf et al, 2010). As for the interaction effect of saline irrigation and biofertilizer inoculation, the highest values for the crude protein content was recorded in S. brachiata plants supplied with halophytic compost @ 1 ton ha -1 and irrigated with fullstrength seawater.…”