The publication of this Handbook was supported by the Russian Federation

Moldova (V.F. Filipchuk and Yu.G. Rozloga). The main areas of  distribution of  salt-affected 
soils in Moldova are found within floodplains of  internal and trans-boundary rivers of  the Republic. 
Agricultural lands now occupy an area of  180 thousand hectares out of  the total of  250 thousand 
hectares  of   floodplains.  As  a  result  of   flood  prevention  via  the  control  of   river  flow  by  dams, 
floodplain ecosystems are turning into steppe, which is accompanied initially by the development 
of  evaporation-induced halogenesis (salinization) processes in soils and ground waters followed by 
solonetzization (alkalization) processes.
The rates of  soil degradation (salinization and alkalinization) within floodplains are predetermined 
primarily by hydrogeological processes (migration and accumulation of  salts) within the soil- 
groundwater  system  [17].  Therefore,  the  main  characteristics  of   salt-affected  soils  include  the 
following:  infiltration  capacity  (degree  of   natural  drainage),  upward  and  downward  fluxes  of  
saline solutions between the soil (zone of  hypergenesis) and underlying sediments, the prevalent 
type of  salt accumulations and the content and composition of  salts (degrees of  salinization and 
alkalinization) in soils. On the basis of  these characteristics, the salt-affected soils of  Moldova are 
differentiated into ameliorative provinces, regions and groups.
The soil-ameliorative regionalization, which is used as the basis for planning the amelioration of  
salt-affected soils in Moldova, is shown on the map below (Fig. A.1.). An analysis of  large- scale 
ameliorative maps and hydrogeological data on salt accumulation in soils has shown that about a 
half  of  arable alluvial soils within the Republic are now found in an unsatisfactory condition due 
to salinization, alkalinization, waterlogging and loss of  structure (slitization).

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Soil salinity manаgement manual | Part II.Tutorial examples, guidelines and exercises