Scientists explore options to overcome soil salinity
Karnal, February 15
Scientists of six countries —Australia, Ethiopia, Japan, Egypt, CIMMYT Mexico, India and Bangladesh — and experts from 15 states of the country discussed measures to overcome the challenge of salinity of soil during the second day of the International Salinity Conference on “Rejuvenating Salt Affected Ecologies for Land Degradation Neutrality under Changing Climate” at the Central Soil and Salinity Research Institute (CSSRI).
Dr RK Yadav, Director, ICAR-CSSRI, emphasised on research work and said it would be done in collaboration with industries to solve the problem of stakeholders and farmers.
The conference witnessed a total of 10 sessions, comprising six concurrent sessions covering various themes and four poster sessions. These sessions delved into topics such as alternative land use, agro-forestry, horticulture, integrated farming systems, and crop diversification to enhance the productivity of degraded and saline agro ecosystems. Additionally, discussions revolved around adaptation and mitigation options and climate-resilient practices for ensuring nutrition, food, and livelihood security in salt-affected ecosystems.
Two special sessions were also conducted during the conference. The first session focused on the industry and stakeholders’ meet, chaired by Dr Gurbachan Singh, former chairman, Agriculture Scientists Recruitment Bureau (ASRB), New Delhi, and patron of the “Indian Society for Soil Salinity and Water Quality”. He emphasised on the new technologies to mitigate the challenge of salinity.
