Chemical Reactivity: PH, Salinity and Sodicity Effects on Soil Health

Widespread agricultural land salinization, especially in arid and semi-arid regions, is generally caused by poor management decisions such as improper irrigation management. Salinization degrades soil health through salt accumulation within the profile, and its potentially adverse effects on the soil food web and plant productivity. In this chapter, we discuss several analytical and numerical models that are available to predict water and/or solute transfer processes between soil surface and groundwater resources. Advanced spectroscopic and microscopic tools for elucidating chemical factors and processes that influence microbial abundance, diversity, and ecological function are discussed.