Soil salinity detection using RS data

Soil salinity refers to the state of accumulation of soluble salts in the root zone to adversely affect the growth of most crops. It is a severe environmental degradation that impedes crop growth and production [1]. The conventional processes for the detection, monitoring and mapping of salt-affected soil are known to be difficult and dynamic.(206khan). Remote Sensing has the ability to predict soil salinity accurately. With the increasing population, the demand of increasing agricultural areas to increase food productivity is also increasing. This requires extending the existing irrigation system, thus making more and more agricultural areas vulnerable to soil salinity. A number of remote sensing data sources are available these days, which include, air borne and space borne systems. Satellite data has a great potential for monitoring salinization in both spatial and temporal extents [1]. The current paper reviews a number of different techniques and methods implemented worldwide, on remotely sensed data to measure the soil salinity. The paper also discusses the accuracies achieved by different methods in mapping soil salinity. Key-Words:Remote Sensing, LandsatETM+, ASTER, band combination, salinity index, principle component analysis, regression method