Salt-affected soils: field-scale strategies for prevention, mitigation, and adaptation to salt accumulation

The area of salt-affected soils is increasing globally, mainly due to land use and management malpractices, which can threaten soil health and the sustainability of farms. Climate change is likely to increase the prevalence of salt-affected soils in many agricultur-al areas due to increased aridity and, in coastal areas, due to the increase in sea water level. The causes and processes that develop salt-affected soils are diverse and can result in soil salinity, sodic-ity, alkalinity, or a combination of these conditions. There is a need to continuously update strategies to tackle salt-affected soils, finding solutions tailored at different scales. This work presents a review of the current knowledge related to salt-affected soils and identifies specific strategies and related case studies for the pre-vention, mitigation, and adaptation to salt accumulation in soils at the field scale while addressing their limitations, advantages, research needs, and innovation potential. The presented case stud-ies show that adequate irrigation management and drainage can be used as a preventive measure to counter salt accumulation in soils. Phyto and bioremediation can be effective practices for the miti-gation of soil sodicity. Leaching and drainage can be effective measures for mitigation of soil salinity. Crop rotation and manage-ment of soil organic matter can be used as adaptative measures that improve plant tolerance to salt-affected soils, while a newer approach, microbial management, shows innovation potential as an adaptative measure.

Automated summary

The area of salt-affected soils is increasing globally due to improper land use and management, posing threats to soil health and agricultural sustainability. Climate change and increased aridity may further exacerbate the prevalence of salt-affected soils, while coastal areas may face additional risks from rising sea levels. Understanding the causes and processes of salt accumulation is crucial in developing effective strategies for prevention, mitigation, and adaptation.