Question

Extensive irrigation in arid regions causes salts to accumulate in the soil. (When water evaporates, salts that were dissolved in the water are left behind in the soil.) Based on what you learned about water balance in plant cells, explain why increased soil salinity (saltiness) might be harmful to crops.

Answer 1

Answer:

Increased salinity will result in total crop failure in a field. This is because plants need to take up water from the soil for growth and development. However the salinity levels of this soil will, rather, draw water from the plants by osmosis. This is because the soil water will be hypertonic to the plant's cells cytoplasm and even seeds. In osmosis, water moves from the hypotonic solution to the hypertonic solution through a semi-permeable membrane until osmotic equilibrium is achieved. Planted seeds with therefore hardly germinate and plants will wilt and die, as a result.