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Historically, scientists and laymen have regarded salinity as a
hazar dous, detrimental phenomenon. This negative view was a
principal reason for the lack of agricultural development of most
arid and semi arid zones of the world where the major sources of
water for biological production are saline. The late Hugo Boyko was
probably the first scientist in recent times to challenge this
commonly held, pessimistic view of salinity. His research in Israel
indicated that many plants can be irrigated with saline water, even
at seawater strength, if they are in sandy soil - a technique that
could open much barren land to agriculture. This new, even radical,
approach to salinity was clearly enunciated in the book he edited
and most appropriately entitled 'Salinity and Aridity: New
Approaches to Old Problems' (1966). A decade later, three members
of the United States National Science Foundation (NSF), Lewis
Mayfield, James Aller and Oskar Zaborsky, formulated the 'Biosaline
Concept'; namely, that poor soils, high solar insolation and saline
water, which prevail in arid lands, should be viewed as useful
resources rather than as disadvantages, and that these resources
can be used for non-traditional production of food, fuels and
chemicals. The First International Workshop on Biosaline Research
was con vened at Kiawah Island, South Carolina, in 1977 by A. San
Pietro.
Historically, scientists and laymen have regarded salinity as a
hazar dous, detrimental phenomenon. This negative view was a
principal reason for the lack of agricultural development of most
arid and semi arid zones of the world where the major sources of
water for biological production are saline. The late Hugo Boyko was
probably the first scientist in recent times to challenge this
commonly held, pessimistic view of salinity. His research in Israel
indicated that many plants can be irrigated with saline water, even
at seawater strength, if they are in sandy soil - a technique that
could open much barren land to agriculture. This new, even radical,
approach to salinity was clearly enunciated in the book he edited
and most appropriately entitled 'Salinity and Aridity: New
Approaches to Old Problems' (1966). A decade later, three members
of the United States National Science Foundation (NSF), Lewis
Mayfield, James Aller and Oskar Zaborsky, formulated the 'Biosaline
Concept'; namely, that poor soils, high solar insolation and saline
water, which prevail in arid lands, should be viewed as useful
resources rather than as disadvantages, and that these resources
can be used for non-traditional production of food, fuels and
chemicals. The First International Workshop on Biosaline Research
was con vened at Kiawah Island, South Carolina, in 1977 by A. San
Pietro."
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