Substantiation of research
Soil salinization is one of the major factors contributing to the loss of productivity of cultivated soils. This problem is increasing rapidly throughout the world. Researchers have estimated that more than 50% of the Earth’s arable land could be salinized by 2050 (Jamil et al., 2011; Menason et al., 2015). According to an estimate of the FAO, over 6% of the world’s land is affected by salinity and about 2000 ha of irrigated land per day is degraded by salts (Parihar et al., 2015; Qadir et al., 2014). Both magnitude and extent of soil salinity in Bangladesh are also increasing with time, being 0.83 Mha (million hectare) in 1973, 1.02 Mha in 2002 and 1.06 Mha in 2009 (SRDI, 2010), posing a serious threat to sustainable agricultural production. As a result, the coastal agricultural production will decrease and problems associated with future food security will become ever present, which creates a vast socio-economic impact upon the coastal populations. Therefore, suitable salt tolerant crop cultivars should be identified analyzing their agronomical, physiological and biochemical responses to different salinity level to combat the future salinity threat to sustainable agricultural production. By selecting and cultivating these crop varieties, currently unused large areas of saline soil can be brought under cultivation and existing agricultural land will 2 be more productive, which will ensure sustainable future crop production and food security for the coastal inhabitants living in salinity prone areas
Professor Md. Shariful Islam
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