Horticulture is increasingly being seen as a sunrise sector with huge growth potential.
In many developing and underdeveloped countries, horticultural crops are being promoted to
achieve the intertwined goals of sustainable food and nutritional security, equitable growth
and rural prosperity. In the last few decades, India has made rapid strides in the production of
horticultural crops. Globally, India is the second largest producer of fruits. Despite huge socioeconomic
and environmental benefits, the growth of Indian fruit industry continues to be
hampered by different constraints. Low productivity of fruits vis-à-vis other major producers,
huge post-harvest losses and negligible presence in global export market are some of the
factors hindering India from becoming a leader in the global fruit trade. Majority of the fruit
crops are highly sensitive to biotic and abiotic stresses with about three-fourths of the fruit
crops listed known to be highly sensitive to salinity and the related soil constraints. As further
expansion of area under fruit crops seems possible only in marginal situations, this paper
attempts to shed light on the properties of the marginally productive salt-affected soils,
mechanisms underpinning salt tolerance and doable interventions for growing fruit crops
under saline conditions.ICA
