BIOREMEDIATION OF SALINE SOILS USING AQUATIC PLANTS

Semi arid zones of Rajasthan is facing increasing salinization which has significant and detrimental impacts on land, water and
vegetation quality, wildlife environments, agronomy and ecosystem functioning.. Halophytes which represent about 1% of the
world’s flora, have evolved complex mechanisms at different levels enabling them to successfully cope with these hostile conditions.
There are about a billion ha of salt-affected land worldwide, which are unsuitable for agriculture and may therefore provide unique
opportunities for “halo-biotechnologies” zones and creation of sustainable production systems. Halophytes growing in wetlands and
aquatic regions are able to survive and are able to reproduce in environments where salt concentration reaches or even exceeds
seawater salinity level. The successful rehabilitation of saline marginal zones by introduction of halophytes largely depends on
collecting reliable data on salt-tolerance limits during life cycle of the respective candidate species. Sambhar lake is the largest inland
saline wetland of India It covers an area of 190 sq km in the gaps of Aravalli mountain ranges. The vast saline expanse of the wetland
has supported 12 different species belonging to 10 genera and 7 families. Salt production, drainage ground water extraction and
grazing have been amply focussed as threats to the lake in last two decades. In recent year man made activities in the catchment area,
top soil removal from the lake decades mushrooming of private salt industries , air water and noise pollution including vehicular
trespass, poaching, biotic interference including human pressure and unregulated pilgrimage tourism are threats not only to lake
ecology but for biota to withstand the adversity. The present paper deals with the halophytic vegetation of Rajasthan with respect to
field studies


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