Effects of salinity
Photo: Liton Rahman / Driknews
About 53% of the coastal areas are affected by salinity. Agricultural land use in these areas is very poor, which is much lower than country's average cropping intensity. Salinity causes unfavourable environment and hydrological situation that restrict the normal crop production throughout the year. The factors which contribute significantly to the development of saline soil are, tidal flooding during wet season (June-October), direct inundation by saline water, and upward or lateral movement of saline ground water during dry season (November-May). The severity of salinity problem in Bangladesh increases with the desiccation of the soil. It affects crops depending on degree of salinity at the critical stages of growth, which reduces yield and in severe cases total yield is lost. Soil reaction values (pH) in coastal regions range from 6.0-8.4. The organic matter content of the soils is also pretty low (1.0-1.5%). Nutrient deficiencies of N and P are quite dominant in saline soils. Micronutrients, such as Cu and Zn are widespread. The salinity problem received very little attention in the past. It has become imperative to explore the possibilities of increasing potential of these (saline) lands for increased production of crops. Thus it is necessary to have an appraisal of the present state of land areas affected by salinity.
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