Editing Biosalinity

{{Short description|Use of salty water for irrigation}}
{{no footnotes|date=March 2013}}
'''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]] (0.5–5g/L salt) or [[Salinity|saline]] (30–50g/L 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 [[Soil salinity|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.

==See also==

* {{annotated link|Alkali soil}}
* {{annotated link|Arid Forest Research Institute|Arid Forest Research Institute (AFRI)}}
* {{annotated link|Biosaline agriculture}}
* {{annotated link|Crop tolerance to seawater}}
* {{annotated link|Halophyte}}
* {{annotated link|Halotolerance}}
* {{annotated link|Salt tolerance of crops}}
* {{annotated link|Sodium in biology}}
* {{annotated link|Soil salinity}}
* {{annotated link|Soil salinity control}}

==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]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20011218080831/http://www.ussl.ars.usda.gov/ USDA's George E. Brown Jr. Salinity Laboratory]
* [https://www.saltfarmtexel.com/ Salt Farm Texel]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20170518223345/http://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.&nbsp;56–61.

[[Category:Irrigation]]
[[Category:Saline water]]