Biosalinity: Agriculture, Brackish, Aquifer, Salinity, Seawater, Salinization, Arid-zone agriculture, Biochemistry, Physiology, Genetics, Irrigation, Soil

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Biosalinity is the study and practice of using saline (salty) water for irrigating agricultural crops. Many arid and semi-arid areas actually do have sources of water, but the available water is usually brackish (500-5000 ppm salt by weight) or saline (3-5% salt). The water may be present in underground aquifers or as seawater along coastal deserts. With traditional farming practices, saline water results in soil salinization, rendering it unfit for raising most crop plants. Indeed, many arid and semi-arid areas were simply considered unsuitable for agriculture, and agricultural development of these areas was not systematically attempted until the second half of the 20th century.