Salinisation of the soil results in a loss of 1,166 euros per hectare during the cultivation of potatoes in the Netherlands. That is 1,781 euros in Denmark.
his is shown by international research by the Interegg North Sea Region project SalFar. The main focus was on the consequences of salinization for potatoes and barley in Belgium, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom. We also looked at wheat, sugar beets and corn.
The research shows that salinization of the soil can have serious consequences for crop yields. With an average loss of 1,166 euros per hectare of potatoes, damage in the Netherlands is relatively low. In the Netherlands, barley damages amounting to 484 euros per hectare, the highest of all countries. Germany follows with EUR 416 per hectare.
Moderately tolerant
In determining the degree to which crops can tolerate soil salinization, researchers used parameters in the calculations. Barley is highly tolerant and potatoes moderately tolerant. The average financial loss per country has been calculated on the basis of different salt concentrations. In total, this would involve damage of 500 million euros in the six countries.
The province of Groningen was examined for the financial consequences in the Netherlands. On that basis, the potato yield would fall by an average of 7.5 tons per hectare, compared to an average of 8.5 tons in the United Kingdom. Barley is a loss of 2.5 tonnes per hectare in the Netherlands. In Belgium, this is an average of 2.8 tonnes per hectare, the highest loss of all countries in tonnes. Financially this would mean an average of 392 euros per hectare.
Sea level rise
Over the years, a rise in sea level can further increase salinization and thus also financial damage. Due to the rise in the sea level, the salinity is increasing. The researchers’ calculations show that the damage to potatoes in the Netherlands could amount to 1,480 euros per hectare and 608 euros per hectare for barley.
The international study shows that several factors influence the financial damage: the degree of salinization, the type of crop, the salt tolerance and the degree of sea level rise due to climate change. The analysis shows that there are significant differences in the economic impact of salinization.
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