ABSTRACT
Identification of problem soils, measurement of their physical and chemical properties as well as estimation of their spatial coverage and distribution is a major topic in soil science. Age-old research was conducted about this. However, for the last few years, new rapid, cost-effective digital tools with high precision have taken the lead in this field. Application of remote sensing in terms of space- and air-borne images as well as proximal reflectance spectroscopy are a major part of this revolution. They are capable of identification, regular monitoring and evaluation of saline, sodic, acidic and other types of problem soils over a vast area. In addition, use of the Geographic Information System (GIS) can act as a digital mapping tool to depict the local and global spatial coverage of these problem soils.
