A biological approach to salinized soil amelioration in arid Northwest China – Saline water irrigated trees and shrubs on saline sodic soil

A field experiment was carried out to explore the possibilities of planting halophytes on salt-affected land with saline water irrigation. The changes in the salinity of the soil profile, the survival rate and growth conditions as well as the salt tolerance were investigated over a five-year period after the planting of halophyte shrubs and arbours. The results show that halophytes can assimilate salts from soil and improve the soil’s physical and chemical properties and at the same time, contribute to the amelioration of the ecological environment and enhance saline soil productivity. This five-year field experiment in arid Northwest China suggests that growing salt-tolerant plants using poor quality water in a saline environment is a practicable and sustainable remediation approach for the restoration of salinized soil.