**2. Mode of formation of saline soils**

A big monetary loss created due to soil salinity in India. About 175 M ha (53%) land is degraded by various means from a total of 329 M ha of land in the country. Ministry of Agriculture, GOI stated that 7.61 M ha of land is salt affected in India which ranges from 8.56 M ha to 10.9 M ha. Majorily saline—alkali and waterlogging problems occur in Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, parts of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu (**Table 1**). Total salt affected soils in India are 1,710,673 ha with maximum in Gujarat followed by Rajasthan (**Figure 2**) while Coastal saline soils are 1,246,136 ha with maximum in Gujarat followed by West Bengal and Orissa.

Thus briefly following reasons can be assigned for salinization of the soils:

• Non-systematic irrigation with more than required irrigation cycles


**101**

conditions

**Figure 2.**

• Poor drainage conditions.

*Distribution of salt affected soils in India.*

with poor drainage.

*Sustainable Production of Pulses under Saline Lands in India*

• Seepage in perennial river basins/irrigation sources causes water logging

i.Use of saline groundwater: the areas where no other source of water is available, irrigation with highly saline groundwater leads to accumulation of salts in plant root surrounding environment. This problem is more prone in soils

ii.Saline seeps is a major problem in areas with change in land use pattern, when natural forests are being used for cropping system or following a

• Heavy use of chemical fertilizers containing chlorides, sulfates etc.

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

• Evapotranspiration in arid conditions leads to accumulation of salts in the top layer

#### **Table 1.**

*Extent and distribution of salt affected soils in India.*

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

*Legume Crops - Prospects, Production and Uses*

**2. Mode of formation of saline soils**

**Sr. no. State Saline soil** 

layer

10 Madhya

Pradesh

*Extent and distribution of salt affected soils in India.*

In the current season chana, moong, tur and urad have all seen production increase with increases in acreages and excellent weather. This may be a good opportunity to also open exports and see if farmer incomes and long term acreages increase with these measures as against the known vicious cycle of acreages decreasing after a season of good production following the crash in prices led precisely by the high production. It may take a few years for the prices to settle and farmers to become globally integrated, but the time has indeed come to take this leap of faith [12].

A big monetary loss created due to soil salinity in India. About 175 M ha (53%) land is degraded by various means from a total of 329 M ha of land in the country. Ministry of Agriculture, GOI stated that 7.61 M ha of land is salt affected in India which ranges from 8.56 M ha to 10.9 M ha. Majorily saline—alkali and waterlogging problems occur in Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, parts of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu (**Table 1**). Total salt affected soils in India are 1,710,673 ha with maximum in Gujarat followed by Rajasthan (**Figure 2**) while Coastal saline soils are 1,246,136 ha

Thus briefly following reasons can be assigned for salinization of the soils:

• Evapotranspiration in arid conditions leads to accumulation of salts in the top

 Andhra Pradesh 0 196,609 77,598 274,207 A & N islands 0 0 77,000 77,000 Bihar 47,301 105,852 0 153,153 Gujarat 1,218,255 541,430 462,315 2,222,000 Haryana 49,157 183,399 0 232,556 J & K 0 17,500 0 17,500 Karnataka 1307 148,136 586 150,029 Kerala 0 0 20,000 20,000 Maharashtra 177,093 422,670 6996 606,759

 Orissa 0 0 147,138 147,138 Punjab 0 151,717 0 151,717 Rajasthan 19,557 179,371 0 374,942 Tamil Nadu 0 354,784 13,231 368,015 Uttar Pradesh 21,989 1,346,971 0 1,368,960 West Bengal 0 0 441,272 441,227

Total 1,710,673 3,788,159 1,246,136 6,744,968

**Alkali soil (ha)**

**Coastal saline soil (ha)**

0 139,720 0 139,720

**Total (ha)**

• Non-systematic irrigation with more than required irrigation cycles

with maximum in Gujarat followed by West Bengal and Orissa.

**(ha)**

**100**

**Table 1.**

**Figure 2.** *Distribution of salt affected soils in India.*

	- i.Use of saline groundwater: the areas where no other source of water is available, irrigation with highly saline groundwater leads to accumulation of salts in plant root surrounding environment. This problem is more prone in soils with poor drainage.
	- ii.Saline seeps is a major problem in areas with change in land use pattern, when natural forests are being used for cropping system or following a

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 depressions which brings about soil salinization [13].


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 marginal saline to extreme saline lands without any cultivation.
