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Saltwater Intrusion and Flooding: Risks to South Florida’s Agriculture and Potential Management Practices

Haimanote K. Bayabil, Yuncong Li, Jonathan H. Crane, Bruce Schaffer, Ashley R. Smyth, Shouan Zhang, Edward A. Evans, and Trent Blare


Release Date: 5/31/2022

Reviewed At: 6/3/2025

DOI: 10.32473/edis-ae572-2022

Water Resources

Abstract

This article highlights the impacts of saltwater intrusion and flooding on the health of agricultural soils. It also discusses management practices to reduce the negative impacts of soil salinity due to saltwater intrusion and/or flooding. Written by Haimanote K. Bayabil, Yuncong Li, Jonathan H. Crane, Bruce Schaffer, Ashley R. Smyth, Shouan Zhang, Edward A. Evans, and Trent Blare, and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, May 2022.

About this Publication

This document is AE572, one of a series of the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, UF/IFAS Extension. Original publication date May 2022. Visit the EDIS website at https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu for the currently supported version of this publication.

About the Authors

Haimanote K. Bayabil, assistant professor, Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering; Yuncong Li, professor, Department of Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences; Jonathan H. Crane, professor, Department of Horticultural Sciences; Bruce Schaffer, professor, Department of Horticultural Sciences; Ashley R. Smyth, assistant professor, Department of Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences; Shouan Zhang, professor, Department of Plant Pathology; Edward A. Evans, professor, Department of Food and Resource Economics, and center director; and Trent Blare, assistant professor, Department of Food and Resource Economics; UF/IFAS Tropical Research and Education Center, Homestead, FL 33031.

Authors

Trent Blare
Trent Blare

country manager/scientist, International Potato Center, Quito, Ecuador, courtesy professor, Department of Food and Resource Economics, UF/IFAS Tropical Research and Education Center

Haimanote Bayabil
Haimanote Bayabil
Specialist
University of Florida

associate professor, water resources, Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, UF/IFAS Tropical Research and Education Center, Homestead, FL

Yuncong Li
Yuncong Li
Specialist
University of Florida

professor, soil and water quality, Department of Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences, UF/IFAS Tropical Research and Education Center, Homestead, FL

Jonathan Crane
Jonathan Crane
Specialist
University of Florida

professor emeritus, tropical fruit crop specialist, Department of Horticultural Sciences, UF/IFAS Tropical Research and Education Center, Homestead, FL

Bruce Schaffer
Bruce Schaffer
Specialist
University of Florida

professor, ecophysiology of subtropical and tropical horticultural crops, Department of Horticultural Sciences, UF/IFAS Tropical Research and Education Center, Homestead, FL

Ashley Smyth
Ashley Smyth
Specialist
University of Florida

associate professor, biogeochemistry, Ph.D., Department of Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences, UF/IFAS Tropical Research and Education Center

Shouan Zhang
Shouan Zhang
Specialist
University of Florida

professor, vegetable and tropical fruit disease management, Department of Plant Pathology, UF/IFAS Tropical Research and Education Center, Homestead, FL

Edward Evans
Edward Evans
Specialist
University of Florida

professor, Department of Food and Resource Economics, and center director, UF/IFAS Tropical Research and Education Center

Publication #AE572

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