Seawater potential use in soilless culture: A review

Available freshwater counts on less than 1% of the water on Earth and of such share an average of 70% is absorbed by the agricultural sector. Since the rhythm of freshwater withdrawal is faster than its regeneration, measures have to be taken in order to preserve such an important resource. The use of seawater in soilless culture is an interesting option to limit freshwater withdrawal for food production, with any additional negative imput into soils. The present review aims at describing the state of the art of seawater as an irrigation complementary source in soilless culture, providing a critical overview on the available information on the subject and on the potential and constraints of its implementation at a commercial level.