ABSTRACT
The soils which contain sufficient water-soluble salts in the root zone affect or impair plant growth in general, may be termed as saline soil. According to Biswas and Mukherjee, saline soils are soils containing excess of neutral soluble salts dominated by chlorides and sulfates that affect plant growth. Plants may appear water stressed, poor germination, leaf burn, shallow water table and white alkali on the surface of soil are some of the visible symptoms of saline soil. Drainage networks constructed to drain flat coastal areas can lead to intrusion by lowering freshwater tables, reducing water pressures exerted by fresh water column. Salinity problems in coastal soil is caused during the process of their formation under marine influence and subsequently due to periodical inundation with tidal water and in case of lowlands having proximity to the sea, due to the high water-table with high concentration of salts.
