**4. Crops and saline soils**

Most crops do not grow well on soils that contain salts. Homeostasis of ions is disturbed in the cell due to high salt concentration in the rhizosphere, thereby,

**103**

the plants.

*Sustainable Production of Pulses under Saline Lands in India*

and biochemical expressions of salt tolerance [16].

**5. Pulses and sustainability**

creating water deficit under salt stress conditions. This leads to abbreviations in structure and function of various proteins. Under such circumstances, a signaling pathway is activated in the cell to synthesize the metabolites, proteins or enzymes involved directly in scavenging free radicals and maintaining the ionic flux through osmoregulation. Detoxification of free radicals is an important defense mechanism under salt stress. Pulses in general are the most salt sensitive crops. One reason is that salt causes a reduction in the rate and amount of water that the plant roots can take up from the soil. In legumes, salt stress imposes a significant limitation of productivity related to the adverse effects on the growth of the host plant, the rootnodule bacteria, symbiotic development and finally the nitrogen fixation capacity. Also, some salts are toxic to plants when present in high concentration. Some legumes plants are more tolerant to a high salt concentration than others e.g., lentils are more tolerant than soybean and chickpea. Recently, few salt tolerant chickpea lines have been identified for survival at early seedling stage in saline soils with EC of irrigation water from 3 to 12 dS/m [15]. Earlier, pea genotypes have been categorized as sensitive, moderately tolerant or tolerant to salinity based on physiological

The most potential technologies in pulse production include improved crop establishment and management practices, integrated soil fertility and pest management practices, etc., which enhance not only the productivity and profitability but also warrant environmental and social sustainability besides nutritional security [17]. Role of pulses in maintaining sustainability is very wide since pulses are an important component of crop rotations, requiring very less fertilizers than other crops. Legumes are beneficial part of the rotational crops to maintain soil fertility. Good soil management practices for crop rotation also includes pulses with different crops like wheat, barley, oats, oilseeds such as canola, flax, sunflowers, etc. The nitrogen fixing ability of pulses enriches the soil quality and fertility and hence leading to enhanced productivity in subsequent crop rotations. Soil health in also improved through pulses as they feed soil microbes. Even the crop residue of pulses contains different amino acids and bio-chemicals than non-legumes. This diversity in soil composition provides better protection against disease-causing microbes and thus helps crops to thrive under adverse conditions. The number and diversity of soil microbes is markedly increased with intercropping of pulses [17, 18]. An environment of 'live' soil with diversity of soil micro-organisms is considered best for crops because these micro-organisms enhance the nutrient uptake rate and efficiency in different soils. Additionally, the abundance of diverse soil microorganisms 'crowd out' the disease-causing bacteria and fungi, and thus protects

Pulses are considered as low carbon footprint crops since they use half energy inputs than other crops. Soil bacteria are utilized for nitrogen fixation from air which replaces additional requirement of nitrogen fertilizers in pulse crops. Nitrogen enriches the soil in different forms like fertilizer, manure or crop residue, then most part of it is converted into a powerful greenhouse gas, nitrous oxide. Globally, nitrous oxide represents around 46% of the greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture and is almost 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide (CO2) [19]. As nitrogen fertilizers are related directly with greenhouse gas emissions therefore, pulses have lower carbon footprint than other crops due to their nitrogenfixing ability. Nitrogen is manufactured from natural gas and is the most needed fertilizer in crop production. The unique feature of pulses is that they take nitrogen

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.91870*

#### *Sustainable Production of Pulses under Saline Lands in India DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.91870*

*Legume Crops - Prospects, Production and Uses*

sions which brings about soil salinization [13].

restricted due to these activities.

**3. Management of saline soils**

and grow salt tolerant varieties of crops.

ginal saline to extreme saline lands without any cultivation.

tion by accumulation of salts in the root zone of plants.

fallow season in green lands or some change in farming system. This problem mainly found in Australia, North America and some other countries. The impermeable horizontal layers intercept the percolating water passing through saline sediments and then transport laterally to landscape depres-

iii.Other important sources for creating salinity are sea tidal waves, transport of salt sprays through wind or underground aquifers. Another procedure of salinization includes exchange of soluble salts between sea and land through marine sediments uplifting on earth's surface. In arid or semi-arid regions, the lowest level of rainfall equal to evapotranspiration also brings saliniza-

iv.Generally soluble salts move from higher levels to lower levels and this localized movement of salts also builds a significant level of salinity. Salts from moist to dry and watered fields to adjacent dry fields create salinity. The industrial/commercial developmental activities like laying of roads or rail tracks also create salinization specifically in areas where natural drainage is

In rainfed areas, management of unirrigated lands is a major problem specifically when cropping is done in such fields. Dryland salinity is a worldwide threat to available cultivable land and water resources in countries including. Great Plains region of North America, Iran, Afghanistan, India, western Australia, Thailand and Canada and South Africa and probably some other countries. Such dryland saline spots are most commonly known as saline seeps, occurring frequently from mar-

There are two major approaches to improving and sustaining productivity in a saline environment-either modifying the environment to suit the plant or modifying the plant to suit the environment [14]. The farmers very well know the adverse effects of soil salinity in terms of reduced plant growth and yields. Since the saline area is increasing day by day, the farmers are shifting to various other alternates like change of cropping pattern, green manuring, dairying etc. along with use of open drainages and mulching. Although it is difficult to manage saline soils through any chemical amendment, the only precautionary method is to use good quality water

The consideration of various studies on soil salinity have led to only a single observation for timely implementation of corrective measures to stop further salinization and conversion of fertile soils to waste lands. This approach cannot be achieved by a single adaptation, it needs to be a cumulative effort to spread the awareness about soil sustainability and enhanced crop production. In the coming time the concept of soil management and sustainability should be the one of the important issue to be taken care of or we have to bear the low crop productivity

Most crops do not grow well on soils that contain salts. Homeostasis of ions is disturbed in the cell due to high salt concentration in the rhizosphere, thereby,

**102**

(www.nabard.org).

**4. Crops and saline soils**

creating water deficit under salt stress conditions. This leads to abbreviations in structure and function of various proteins. Under such circumstances, a signaling pathway is activated in the cell to synthesize the metabolites, proteins or enzymes involved directly in scavenging free radicals and maintaining the ionic flux through osmoregulation. Detoxification of free radicals is an important defense mechanism under salt stress. Pulses in general are the most salt sensitive crops. One reason is that salt causes a reduction in the rate and amount of water that the plant roots can take up from the soil. In legumes, salt stress imposes a significant limitation of productivity related to the adverse effects on the growth of the host plant, the rootnodule bacteria, symbiotic development and finally the nitrogen fixation capacity. Also, some salts are toxic to plants when present in high concentration. Some legumes plants are more tolerant to a high salt concentration than others e.g., lentils are more tolerant than soybean and chickpea. Recently, few salt tolerant chickpea lines have been identified for survival at early seedling stage in saline soils with EC of irrigation water from 3 to 12 dS/m [15]. Earlier, pea genotypes have been categorized as sensitive, moderately tolerant or tolerant to salinity based on physiological and biochemical expressions of salt tolerance [16].
