2.1 Description of sampling sites
The study was carried out on SAS of the west coast region of India. The study sites were selected from 17 coastal districts of the states of Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and Kerala. The sampling locations of the present study are presented in Figure 1. The locations were confirmed for the source of salinity before collecting the soil samples. The source of salinity was either the ingression of the saline water from sea and estuaries or saline groundwater due to natural or anthropogenic activities. The ten years average annual rainfall and temperature of the study region were 2139 mm and 27.4 °C and the climate is warm and humid. Rice cultivation is prevalent in such soils due to reduction in salinity during monsoon season. However, the crop experiences salinity stress during the initial crop establishment and maturity stages and this, in turn, reduces the crop yield. These lands are mostly kept fallow by farmers during the rest period of the year due to the rise in soil salinity.