Ali Basavand, the CEO of Rafsanjan Ammonium Sulfate production plant, said in an interview with the Public Relations of the Green Alchemy company:
Soil salinity has negative effects on crops. It reduces water absorption, resulting in earlier wilting and ultimately growth reduction in plants. Also, increased absorption of some elements present in saline soils, such as sodium, chlorine, and boron, causes plant toxicity and has destructive effects on crop growth. Due to the high concentration of some ions, such as chlorine, in saline soils and its absorption by the plant, the absorption of some essential elements, such as nitrate and sulfate, is also reduced. To eliminate these destructive effects, we need to find ways to reduce soil salinity and improve the quality of soil.
He continued, expressing solutions for improving saline soil: “Leaching is one of the important ways to remove excess salt from the soil solution, which is done by using a larger amount of irrigation water to dilute or wash salt from the root growth environment in lands with proper drainage.” Other methods for reducing soil salinity include constructing drainage to direct water to lower soil levels, selecting and planting salt-resistant plants after leaching, and using special planting methods, such as ridge planting that reduce salt accumulation around seeds and roots.
Increasing soil humus by adding organic matter to the soil to improve soil quality, increase permeability, and create better ventilation and leaching of the soil also help plants absorb nutrients by regulating the temperature of the irrigation water.
