ABSTRACT
Soil salinization is a typical process for steppe, semiarid, and desert landscapes. Saline soils have increased content (more than 0.25% of dry weight of a soil sample) of soluble salts, such as chlorides and sulfates of sodium, magnesium, and calcium. These soils are observed commonly in flat, closed, and poorly drained areas with nonpercolative water regimes, in territories with saline surface deposits and discharges of saline groundwater. There are primary and secondary salinizations. Primary salinization is caused by integration of natural phenomena, such as climatic, geological, and geomorphic factors; secondary salinization is a result of human activities, such as landuse and water management, which may lead to vertical and lateral redistribution of salts in the landscape. Salinization is one of the main factors of soil cover degradation (Kovda, 1946, 1971, 1973; Mordkovich, 1982; Lobova and Khabarov, 1983).
