Reclamation of salt-affected soils, based on soil amendments/drainage measures, is both energy as well as labour intensive and, hence, highly. expensive. In fact, obtaining and maintaining non-saline soil conditions is not economically feasible where either evapo-transpiration demand far exceeds the precipitation or the area is highly prone to flooding by brackish water or soil permeability is low or water-table is high and groundwater is saline. Slow but continuous build-up of salinity in the root zone threatens agriculture in such situations; successful farmmg under these unfavourable conditions centres around proper choice of salt-tolerant crop varieties visa-vis appropriate management practices. It is also noteworthy that even gypsum-based proven technology for reclamation of alkali soils in the Ind-oGangetic plains failed to find favour with the farmers until the advent of high-yielding dwarf varieties of rice and wheat made such efforts remunerative. Success of projects aimed at increasing productivity of salt-affected soils, and improving socio-economic conditions of marginal farmers owning them, is thus linked to collection, conservation, assessment and utilisation of salt-tolerant plant genetic resources.
