Analysis of Water Supply of Plants Under Saline Soil Conditions and Conclusions for Research on Crop Salt Tolerance

Abstract In the dry areas of the world there is an increasing pressure to apply low quality brackish waters for plant irrigation (agriculture, horticulture, landscape greening). Consequently there is a demand to improve salt tolerance of conventional crops and to develop adequate irrigation techniques too. The efforts in the past decades to approach the understanding of salt stress mechanism by focusing on biochemical and physiological research were disappointing with respect to progress for crop growth and yields under saline soil conditions. However, it is generally agreed by all disciplines involved in research for crop salt tolerance that under saline soils conditions the reduced water supply of crops is the most critical growth factor. The paper presents some model calculations and field investigations that demonstrate the effect of root water uptake on the salinity of the root surrounding soil fraction (rhizospheric soil). It is shown that root hair length and rhizospheric soil volumes are factors most relevant for understanding crop salt tolerance, when growing in soils. It is postulated that short root hairs contribute to a lower salt tolerance (onions), whereas long root hairs enhance water uptake from saline soils and crop salt tolerance (rape). As interactions between roots and soil contribute to the salt tolerance of crops under field conditions, it is doubtful that selection for salt tolerant varieties and breeding for salt tolerance under conditions of water and flow culture experiments is very efficient. Breeding for more salt-tolerant crops and brackish irrigation techniques should consider root morphology and soil/root contact zone.