2.1 Description of sampling sites
The study was carried out on SAS of the west coast region of India. The
study sites were selected from 17 coastal districts of the states of
Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and Kerala. The sampling locations of the
present study are presented in Figure 1. The locations were confirmed
for the source of salinity before collecting the soil samples. The
source of salinity was either the ingression of the saline water from
sea and estuaries or saline groundwater due to natural or anthropogenic
activities. The ten years average annual rainfall and temperature of the
study region were 2139 mm and 27.4 °C and the climate is warm and humid.
Rice cultivation is prevalent in such soils due to reduction in salinity
during monsoon season. However, the crop experiences salinity stress
during the initial crop establishment and maturity stages and this, in
turn, reduces the crop yield. These lands are mostly kept fallow by
farmers during the rest period of the year due to the rise in soil
salinity.