Impact of Soil Salinity on Citrus: A Review

Abstract

Citrus fruits are one of the most important fruit crops in the world. However, these are vulnerable to a variety of environmental stresses, including drought, over watering (water logging), extreme temperatures (cold, frost, and heat), salinity, and mineral toxicity. Above these factors, salinity is the one of the most significant. Because of its hyperosmotic and hyperionic effects on the soil rhizosphere, salinity is an abiotic factor that has detrimental effect of reducing plant development and yield. Citrus is a salt-susceptible crop as compared to other fruit crops, because citrus development and yield are dramatically reduced under salt stress conditions. There are a variety of approaches that can be used to mitigate the harmful effects of salinity, including alternative irrigation and the selection of salt-resistant root stocks. This review will therefore, concentrate on the influence of soil salinity on citrus production and feasible mitigation techniques to reduce production losses.