salineaffected

Salineaffected is an adjective used in soil science, agronomy, and environmental studies to describe conditions, soils, ecosystems, or materials that are altered or stressed by elevated salinity. The term combines saline with affected to indicate a relationship to soluble salts, typically sodium chloride and other minerals, in soil water or pore spaces.

In soils, salineaffected conditions are characterized by increased soil solution conductivity (electrical conductivity, EC) and osmotic stress on plants. They occur in coastal areas, arid regions with irrigation runoff, and places where drainage is poor or irrigation water is saline. The term is often used interchangeably with saline soils, though some prefer salineaffected to emphasize a process or state rather than a definitive soil class.

Effects include reduced seed germination and crop growth, altered soil structure due to dispersion of clays under high sodium, and potential toxicity of certain ions. Infrastructure and aquatic systems can also be affected through corrosion and altered water quality.

Management approaches focus on lowering soil salinity or reducing its impacts, including improved drainage, leaching, use of salt-tolerant crops, mulching, and, in some cases, amendment with gypsum to improve soil structure in sodic conditions. Monitoring uses electrical conductivity readings, soil salinity sensors, and salinity in irrigation water.

See also: salinity, saline soil, sodic soil, irrigation management, soil health.