The soil below our feet is not just dirt to Sharon Benes, one of Fresno State’s foremost plant scientists. In fact, proper soil management is a very credible way to make crops productive. Concentrating her research on salt management practices for the west San Joaquin Valley, Benes has identified salt tolerant plants, including forages, for systems that reuse saline drainage water for irrigation.

Her work is an example of how university researchers develop practical applications and benefits for Valley concerns – in this case utilizing agricultural wastewater to produce forages for the local animal industry, and improving soil quality with sub-surface drainage systems.  The issue has statewide and international implications. An estimated 4.5 million agricultural acres in California are salt-affected, and worldwide nearly one-fifth of irrigated lands are salt-affected. Benes says colleagues in Australia, Israel, India, and Pakistan are working on related salinity/soil management research issues. “It’s exciting to see how we can sometimes reclaim marginal land and grow higher value, salt-sensitive crops because of proper soil and water management,” she says.  Benes’ expertise is also useful to animal producers, food processors, and municipalities who, at times, need to dispose of saline wastewaters in an environmentally responsible manner.