Cutting Edge Science Takes On Salinity to Increase Farmland
Scientists from around the world are gathering at Riverside, CA, for an International Salinity Forum to find out to make more land available to feed the world growing population.
Riverside, CA (PRWEB) April 27, 2005 -- Worldwide, an estimated 12 to 17
million acres of arable land are lost for production annually from soil
degradation. Of these, 5 million acres are directly attributable to soil
salinization. In the United States, almost a quarter of the irrigated lands
exhibit some degree of salinization resulting in significant crop
losses.
Salinity poses a major environmental threat in many countries and
a threat to their infrastructure. It is an enormous issue in agriculture, but
also poses economic costs on roads, railroads, buildings, pipelines and any
infrastructure that holds or carries saline water.
Among the 350
scientists attending the Forum are 35 from Australia.
Australia faces a
particularly significant challenge from salinity with up to 14 million acres
affected or with a high potential to be affected. By 2050 the area at risk is
predicted to reach 42 million acres.
Australian researchers have
responded to this challenge and are international leaders in many areas of
salinity research. The strength of this research will be on display at the
Forum, with papers presented by no less than 35 scientists from Australian
universities, and government and private research agencies and organizations.
Among the many issues addressed by Australian researchers at this forum
are papers on Response of Crops to Salinity (Dr Rana Munns, CSIRO) and
Sustainable Grazing on Saline Land (Dr Nick Edwards, SA Research &
Development institute). Both these papers report on major advances in our
understanding of how to manage saline land in a productive and sustainable
way.
These researchers are among eleven Australian scientists from the
Cooperative Research Centre for Salinity, a partnership between eleven
universities and state government and Australian government research
agencies.
The strong Australian representation at the Forum will be
marked by an Australia Night (25 April), hosted by the Cooperative Research
Centre for Salinity and with the Hon John Olsen, Australian Consul General in
Los Angeles, as Master of Ceremonies.
The Australia Night, at the
Mission Inn, will feature Australian food, beer and wine, cooked and served as
Aussies would.
The International Salinity Forum is sponsored
by:
Agricultural Research Service,
USDA
Natural Resources Conservation Service,
USDA
Bureau of Reclamation,
USDI
Bureau of Land Management,
USDI
University of California Center for Water
Resources
Colorado River Salinity Control
Forum
International Water Association,
IWA
Australian Cooperative Research Centre for
Plant-Based Management of Dryland Salinity
Contact:
Dr Richard
Price
917 331 6740
e-mail protected from spam bots
Or
Dr Bruce
Munday
e-mail protected from spam bots
Background information (http://www.waterresources.ucr.edu/)
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/4/prweb233069.htm