Growing crops in saline water will become a necessary solution in the fight against food and freshwater scarcity on our planet.
 |
Samphire grows on coastlines and has been used as a vegetable for thousands of years. Photo: onesite.com. |
Freshwater accounts for only 1% of the Earth’s total water supply, most of which is used for drinking. Around the world, agricultural yields in many regions are gradually declining due to the increasing salinity of water and soil.
“Salinization is an irreversible process. Sooner or later, humanity will have to accept the reality that the salt content on the planet is rising,” said Professor Jelte Rozema from the Department of Ecology at the University of Amsterdam (Netherlands).
Scientists assert that we will have to utilize saline lands and waters to grow food crops in the future. The salinity of agricultural land is increasing in tandem with rising sea levels, but salt-tolerant crops can also provide a significant food source.
In the future, farmers may cultivate crops in brackish waters or near river estuaries—where saltwater and freshwater meet. The cost of supplying freshwater to fields is continually rising, and this situation may eventually force farmers to opt for saline water.
Many agricultural experts believe that the best approach is to domesticate wild salt-tolerant plants and breed them for higher yields. “The salt tolerance of wild plants does not diminish during the domestication process,” Professor Rozema noted.
Some crops, such as sea kale and samphire (which grows along the coast in many countries), have been used as food by humans for thousands of years. However, it has only been recently that scientists have regarded them as alternatives to traditional vegetables.
In the Netherlands, many farms are now cultivating sea kale on a large scale, and millions of people have purchased it as a green vegetable for their meals. Crop breeding experts should also pay attention to traditional plants that are salt-tolerant, such as sugar beet. For over 30 years, scientists have conducted numerous experiments to enhance salt tolerance in cereal crops like rice, corn, and beans.
