Leguminous crops are cultivated throughout the world because of their importance as a
protein source in the diets of humans and livestock. Furthcr, many leguminous species
are cultivated as pasture, fodder, or green manure plants. Legumes thereby form essential
components of cropping systems, primarily because of their inputs of nitrogen
fixed from the atmosphere but also for other benefits thcy offer, such as improving the
soil physical and chemical environment and breaking disease cycles (I). Among various
crop plants tested, however, legumes have generally been found to be more sensitive
to soil salinity (2). With the emphasis given to increasing cereal production in
recent decades, the cultivation of legume crops has generally been forced to more
marginal lands, including those prone to salinity problems. Further, legumes grown on
residual soil moisture in the season after thc rains, such as chickpea and lentil, are particularly
pronc to salt damage: salts are progressively concentrated in the soil solution
and precipitated toward the soil surface as the soil dries out. Thus, legumcs generally
face a greater threat of salinity than cereals because of their greater salt sensitivity and
an increasing likelihood of being exposed to saline environments. Thcreforc, improvement
in the salinity tolerance of legumes is of immediate and increasing concern