Location:

Saudi Arabia

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Partners:

The Salt Doctors, King Abdullah University of Science and technology (KAUST)

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Duration:

February-July 2022

 

Project description:

The project is part of the overall project of “Greening Saudi Arabia” and was commissioned by KAUST.

This first part was mostly a “quick scan” to determine the extent of salinization in Saudi Arabia and the salt concentrations of the soils and water resources. Based on this, a first assessment was made to determine the potential for cultivating crops and trees under the prevailing saline conditions. For this, a classification of salt-affected soils and water was presented.

This was followed by a first salinity assessment in Saudi Arabia, based on the readily available literature.

Then, a short overview of crop salt tolerance was presented.

Finally, a first assessment was given of the potential of using the saline resources in Saudi Arabia to increase vegetation cover in the Kingdom.