A Review on "Half a Century Research on Soil Salinity in the Department of Soil Science and Engineering, University of Tehran"

In this paper, more than one hundred studies on soil salinity  which conducted  by researchers in the Department of Soil Science and Engineering, University of Tehran in the last fifty years, are reviewed  and then classified as; measuring and estimating the properties of saline and sodic soils, the effect of salinity and sodicity  on soil characteristics, the relationship between plant and soil salinity, the effect of vegetation and biological crusts on soil salinity, leaching and modeling of solute movement, genesis and development of saline soils and salinity warnings and finally,  biological relationships in saline soils. Summarizing these results reveals that the methods of soil analysis, crop management as well as sustainable soil management, the relationship between soil and micro and macroorganisms and plant nutrition and soil fertility are considerably different from non saline conditions. In addition, the salinity is developing  and the need to use the salt affected soils is inevitable. Some findings would be worthwhile in the use and management of  these soils. Subsequently it is necessary to define a comprehensive research program for saline sodic soils in Iran.