Describing for diagnosis

Symptoms of problems in soil, salt-related causes, and evaluative tests

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Symptom	Possible Salinity-Related Cause*	Diagnostic Method(s)
Whitish deposits visible at surface of soil	Highly saline soil	Test samples of soil and irrigation water for salinity.
Ponding of water on soil for several days or more	Sodium decreases soil’s permeability, causing water to pond	Test sample of irrigation water for salinity, including sodium, calcium, and magnesium ions; calculate sodium adsorption ratio (SAR).
	Compaction of soil by foot traffic, by animals, or by wheeled traffic	Test the density of undisturbed soil (bulk density).
Plants seem never to grow well on certain areas of soil	Highly saline soil	Test sample of soil for salinity.
	Highly saline irrigation water	Test sample of irrigation water for salinity, including sodium, calcium, and magnesium ions; calculate sodium adsorption ratio (SAR).
	Compaction of soil	Test the density of undisturbed soil (bulk density).

* Many non-salt-related causes may also be possible.

Adapted from Abiotic Disorders of Landscape Plants: A Diagnostic Guide, by Costello, Perry, Metheny, Henry, and Geisel (2003).

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