Biosalinity
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'''Biosalinity''' is the study and practice of using saline ([[salinity|salt]]y) water for irrigating [[agriculture|agricultural crops]].
Many arid and semi-arid areas actually do have sources of water, but the available water is usually [[brackish]] (500-5000 ppm salt by weight) or [[salinity|saline]] (3-5% salt). The water may be present in underground [[aquifer]]s or as [[seawater]] along coastal deserts. With traditional farming practices, saline water results in soil [[salinization]], rendering it unfit for raising most crop plants. Indeed, many arid and semi-arid areas were simply considered unsuitable for agriculture, and [[arid-zone agriculture|agricultural development]] of these areas was not systematically attempted until the second half of the 20th century.
Research in biosalinity includes studies of the [[biochemistry|biochemical]] and [[physiology|physiological]] mechanisms of salt tolerance in plants, [[genetics|breeding]] and selection for salt tolerance ([[halotolerance]]), discovery of periods in a crop plant's life cycle when it may be less sensitive to salt, use of saline [[irrigation]] water to increase desirable traits (such as [[sugar]] concentration in a fruit) or to control the ripening process, study of the interaction between salinity and [[soil]] properties, and development of naturally salt-tolerant plant species ([[halophyte]]s) into useful agricultural crops. See also [[halophile]] [[bacterium|bacteria]], which thrive under conditions of high salinity.
When properly applied (watering well in excess of [[evapotranspiration]], maintaining [[soil structure]] for excellent drainage), brackish-water irrigation does not result in increased salinization of the soil. Sometimes this means that farmers have to add extra water after a rainstorm, to carry salts back down to below the root zone.
==External links==
===Organizations involved in biosaline research and development===
* [http://www.cgiar.org/ CGIAR: Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research]
* [http://www.biosaline.org/ ICBA: International Center for Biosaline Agriculture]
* [http://www.ussl.ars.usda.gov/ USDA's George E. Brown Jr. Salinity Laboratory]
* [http://www.seawaterfoundation.org/ The Seawater Foundation]
===Popular reviews===
*Glenn, E. P.; Brown, J. J.; O'Leary, J. W. (1998). [http://www.miracosta.edu/home/kmeldahl/writing/..%5Carticles/crops.pdf "Irrigating Crops with Seawater,"] ''[http://www.sciam.com Scientific American]'', Vol. 279, no. 8, Aug. 1998, pp. 56-61.
[[Category:Irrigation]]