Biosaline agriculture

Biosaline agriculture is a relatively new way of dealing with salinity in agriculture. It develops cropping systems for saline environments, using the capacity of certain plants to grow under saline conditions in combination with the use of saline soil- and water-resources and improved soil and water management. As salinity is influencing our environments more and more, there is un urgency in developing cropping systems that can produce in saline conditions.

Halophytes and salt tolerant plants
The species used by biosaline agriculture are salt tolerant plants – which support higher salinity levels of soil and water - and halophytes which even produce better under saline circumstances.

Saline water resources
Globally 98% of the water volume is seawater, 1% is fresh water and 1% is brackish water. Agricultural use is currently responsible for 70% of all fresh water consumption. With great differences between the various regions. Competition between the various users of fresh water is growing fast. Industry and megalopolises will ask for and get a larger share. The growing population of the world needs more food and agricultural crops for energy and industrial uses. It is highly unlikely however that there will be more water available for agriculture. Solutions are twofold: (1) increase the efficiency of the current water use and (2) learn to use other water resources: brackish water and seawater.

A strong point of biosaline agriculture is that it does not depend on fresh water, but uses unconventional saline water resources: in some cases seawater can be used (salicornia, mangroves, seawater grasses), but brackish water offers a higher potential in salt tolerant species that can flourish on it.

Sources of saline water:
• Naturally available in the seas
• Naturally available in groundwater or deeper aquifers
• Drainage water from irrigated agriculture
• Excess water from oil production, geo thermal plants etc
• Waste water from industrial use or from intensive fish & shrimp farming

Biosaline technology is based on two major components: the knowledge of salt tolerant plants and halophytes in various saline environments and how to improve their productivity via plant breeding and agronomics (1).

The knowledge of salinity management in various saline environments including infrastructure for irrigation and drainage adapted to the needs of specific salt tolerant and halophytic crops (2).