Engineering Practices for Management of Soil Salinity ― Agricultural, Physiological, and Adaptive Approaches

Abiotic stresses are known to adversely impact agricultural productivity on millions of hectares globally, and it is projected that these problems are likely to increase, primarily due to anthropogenic interventions as well as climatic changes. Understanding abiotic stresses—especially salt stress on soil—calls for an interdisciplinary approach because salt-stressed soils need hydro-technical, chemical, and agronomic interventions as well as an understanding of plant response when exposed to these stresses. This volume, Engineering Practices for Management of Soil Salinity, explores and conveys the latest information on emerging technologies in the management of abiotic salt stress and their field applications. It brings together experts from various disciplines (academia, technology, and engineering) to provide the latest information and knowledge on this important challenge.

The volume includes some of the latest information on field practices for soil reclamation from the disciplines of soil science, agronomy, and engineering. The plant adaptation studies presented in the book encompass the work done by physiologists, plant breeders, biochemists, and genetics. The potential of many crops, such as halophytes and seed spices, is discussed by experts. And topics span both conventional and nonconventional crops in arid, semi-arid, and coastal ecology.

The book covers:

• management of saline/sodic stress: field practices
• physiological and molecular innovations to enhance salt tolerance
• adaptations and screening of plants under water logging and salinity stresses
• nonconventional and high-value crops for salt affected lands

The volume addresses a wide range of issues on the management of soil salinity and will be of interest and value to the researchers, teachers, students, and field practitioners in many fields

S. K. Gupta, PhD, is an agricultural/civil engineer with specialization in soil and water resources engineering. He is an INAE Distinguished Professor at the Central Soil Salinity Research Institute, Karnal, Haryana, India. He has served as Head of the Division of Drainage and Water Management; Head of the Division of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering; Head of the Indo-Dutch Network Project, and Project Coordinator of the All India Network Project on Use of Saline Water in Agriculture at CSSRI, Karnal, India. He was also a visiting scientist at the US Salinity Laboratory, Riverside, California and the International Institute for Land Reclamation and Improvement, The Netherlands.

Dr. Gupta has published about 130 peer-reviewed papers in various international and national journals and has also published 100 technical, popular articles, book chapters, and bulletins. In addition, hee has published 15 books and written an unpublished manual.

Dr. Gupta is currently the Chief Editor of the Journal of Water Management and has been on the editorial boards of the Journal of Agricultural Engineering and the Indian Journal of Soil Salinity and Water Quality. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) awarded Dr. Gupta its most prestigious Rafi Ahmad Kidwai Award in 2000. In addition, he has received many other awards from many other academies, societies, and national organizations, including a Gold Medal from the Indian Society of Agricultural Engineers and Institution of Engineers (India). He is the Fellow of several organizations.

Dr. Gupta has acted as a consultant to the United Nations Development Programme through WAPCOS, the Ministry of Water Resources, and the government of Ethiopia. He has been the chairman/member of a number of committees and has been the chairman of the committee to prepare BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) standards on water quality as well as a member of course development and a contributor in agriculture and environment of the IG National Open University. Dr. Gupta has more than 40 years of research experience.

Megh R. Goyal, PhD, PE, is a Retired Professor in Agricultural and Biomedical Engineering from the General Engineering Department in the College of Engineering at University of Puerto Rico–Mayaguez Campus; and Senior Acquisitions Editor and Senior Technical Editor-in-Chief in Agriculture and Biomedical Engineering for Apple Academic Press Inc. He has worked as a Soil Conservation Inspector and as a Research Assistant at Haryana Agricultural University and Ohio State University. He was the first agricultural engineer to receive the professional license in Agricultural Engineering in 1986 from the College of Engineers and Surveyors of Puerto Rico. On September 16, 2005, he was proclaimed as "Father of Irrigation Engineering in Puerto Rico for the twentieth century" by the ASABE, Puerto Rico Section, for his pioneering work on micro irrigation, evapotranspiration, agroclimatology, and soil and water engineering. During his professional career of 45 years, he has received many prestigious awards, including being recognized as one of the experts "who rendered meritorious service for the development of [the] irrigation sector in India" by the Water Technology Centre of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University in Coimbatore, India. A prolific author and editor, he has written more than 200 journal articles and textbooks and has edited over 50 books. He received his BSc degree in engineering from Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, India; his MSc and PhD degrees from Ohio State University, Columbus; and his Master of Divinity degree from Puerto Rico Evangelical Seminary, Hato Rey, Puerto Rico, USA.

Anshuman Singh, PhD, is an agricultural scientist with specialization in fruit science (pomology). He is currently working as a scientist at the ICAR-Central Soil Salinity Research Institute, Karnal, Haryana, India. He has been actively engaged in research and extension activities. His research interests include understanding the physiological basis of salt tolerance in crops, salinity management techniques, and agro-biodiversity management. The main objective of his research is to develop technologies to green salt-affected soils and improve the salt tolerance of fruit and vegetable crops through varietal selection and agronomic manipulations.

Dr. Singh has to date published 19 research papers in refereed international and national journals. In addition, he has contributed seven book chapters; written 12 technical/popular articles; and brought out four e-publications. He has made several presentations at international and national conferences and has made significant editorial contributions to key R&D documents of the Central Soil Salinity Research Institute, such as annual reports, the Salinity Newsletter, and CSSRI Vision 2050.

Dr. Singh was award a University Silver Medal and the Dr. Kirtikar Memorial Gold Medal during graduation; and a Chancellor’s Gold Medal’ and a Vice-Chancellor’s Gold Medal during post-graduation. In recognition of his research in greening salty lands through horticulture, Dr. Singh received the Young Scientist Award of the Society for the Upliftment of Rural Economy, Varanasi, India. Recently, the government of Australia bestowed on him the Australia Awards Fellowship for attending an international training program in Australia.