PK on Biotechnology for Saline Soils

Salt stress in saline soils effectively descreases the availability of water in the soil to plants affecting its growth, crop yield, and its response to disease-causing organisms, pest attack and abiotic stresses. Excessive salt in soil also affects soil structure, porosity, water retention propertries, and can eventually render fields unsuitable for agriculture. It is thus imperative that a rational and sustainable use of natural resources is essential to reverse the current degradation of the environment and to ensure sustained farm productivity. The development of crop varieties with increased tolerance to abiotic stresses such as drought and salinity is therefore an important strategy to this end.

The Pocket K entitled "Biotechnology with Salinity for Coping in Problem Soils" developed by the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications discusses the conventional and biotech strategies in developing salt tolerant crops and relates information on salt tolerance mechanism.

Pocket Ks are Pockets of Knowledge packaged information on crop biotechnology products and related issues. Download the material at http://www.isaaa.org/kc/inforesources/publications/pocketk/default.html#Pocket_K_No._31.htm