SALINITY OF THE SOIL AND THE RISK OF DESERTIFICATION IN THE SEMIARID REGION

Abstract The salinity of the soils is one of the problems that most contribute to the degradation of the soils of the regions susceptible to desertification. This problem is present in many parts of the world, including Brazil. In this context, the objective of this article is to analyze the process of salinity of the soils in different land uses in municipalities of the Mesoregion of São Francisco (semi-arid of the State of Pernambuco). For this, samples of soils collected on diverse uses and occupations of the lands were submitted to chemical tests besides the identification of the class of soil to which each sample belongs. The results indicate that the areas on irrigated agriculture present the main sources of salinity, mainly in the places where the irrigation is performed through underground water. Unidentified problem on the samples collected in the Caatinga and partially found on the areas of exposed soils and those submitted to temporary agriculture (dryland). In the study region, inadequate agricultural management is one of the main responsible for salinity of the soils, and the impacts contribute to the increase of the risks to local desertification.