Saline & Sodic Soils

Profile

Conventional classification

Saline: saturated-paste ECe >4 dS/m, ESP <15%; sodic: ESP >15%, ECe <4 dS/m; saline-sodic: both elevated. Boundary conventions vary.

Plant sensitivity

Sensitive plants may be injured below 4 dS/m; these are classification conventions, not safe irrigation limits.

Treatment

Leaching requires adequate drainage and suitable water. Gypsum is conditional on sodicity/calcium requirement, not a blanket saline-soil remedy.

Classification or material name does not establish field capacity, permanent wilting point, salinity, fertility or a calibrated sensor irrigation target. Symptoms are investigation prompts, not diagnoses.

Water & soil context

Moisture (VWC)

No universal field-capacity or permanent-wilting-point VWC for this label. Measure retention and field dry-down at relevant depths; validate sensor response for the installed material.

Salinity tolerance

Use saturated-paste ECe for conventional classification; assess ESP/SAR separately. Sensor bulk EC is not automatically ECe.

Drought tolerance

Available storage depends on retention, rooting depth, restrictive layers and vegetation demand.

Plan leaching with water quality, crop tolerance and drainage. Assess calcium amendment need before reclaiming sodic/saline-sodic soils; salt removal can expose dispersion hazards.

Sources & scope

• FAO (1988), Salt-Affected Soils and their Management, Chapter 2 ↗

  §2.2 Classification: conventional ECe and ESP distinctions; §2.3 formation. Saline, sodic and saline-sodic are different conditions.

• FAO (1988), Salt-Affected Soils and their Management, Chapter 3: Saline soils and their management ↗

  §3.1.1 saturated-paste ECe; §3.1.2 growth effects; §3.2 salt leaching and drainage.

• FAO (1988), Salt-Affected Soils and their Management, Chapter 4: Sodic soils and their management ↗

  Sodicity measurement and reclamation: calcium amendments depend on exchangeable sodium and soil/water chemistry, not salinity alone.

• Soil moisture sensors for irrigation scheduling — University of Minnesota Extension ↗

  Sections on volumetric sensors, calibration, field capacity and allowable depletion. Supports site-specific sensor interpretation, not a universal texture/order VWC threshold or any product performance claim. Verification: direct HTTP fetch blocked (403); publication title and relevant content verified through indexed search text, not a full-text inspection.