Saline soils are a major issue for agriculture because salt turns agronomically useful lands
into unproductive areas. The United Nations Environment Program estimates that
approximately 20% of agricultural land and 50% of cropland in the world is salt-stressed.
Soil salinisation is reducing the area that can be used for agriculture by 1–2% every year,
hitting hardest in the arid and semi-arid regions. Salinity decreases the yield of many crops
because salt inhibits plant photosynthesis, protein synthesis and lipid metabolism. Plant …