http://autos.yahoo.com/mercedes-benz/sl-class/2012/ Can you imagine a small bottle of wine can fetch up to 123 thousand US dollars at an auction?

It is just equal to the price of the newest model of a Mercedes-Benz car. The making of a flawless wine begins with the farming of grapes. Soil characteristic, especially salinity level, is one of the critical factors in determining the potential success of a vineyard. Indeed, soil salinity is a significant concern in most grapegrowing regions. Anywhere you have dry climates, you're going to accumulate salt in the soil, and this brings salinity issues. Salts are more than just the sodium chloride you might use to make your steak really pop. They contain vital micronutrients, like potassium, calcium, boron and of course sodium and chloride. However, when salt levels get high enough in the vine, the leaves start to display "leaf burn" or browning. It is just like the grape vine is being poisoned silently. Other than the famous winegrowing countries, soil salinity has also become a worldwide concern in agricultural areas, like China and Thailand. Wheat, rice and maize are the three most important crops in the world. If the soil for growing these crops has too much salt, it will slow absorption of nutrients and water by the roots, stunting growth and maturity of plants. Or even worse, the crops die. Poor harvest can lead to catastrophic consequences. Global food prices may have the pressure to soar horribly. President of the World Bank, Robert Zoellick, had also warned that the rising prices are definitely "a threat to global growth and social stability". As salinity impacts on grazing lands as well and wildlife depends on it for survival, therefore, the loss of biodiversity escalates. Saline soil does not only destroy rural areas, urban infrastructure is also one of the victims. High soil salinity shortens the life of roads, buildings, and sewage pipes. Roads degrade, foundations crumble, sewage pipes crack, resulting in higher risks of accidents and causing large repair bills. Soil salinity and its related problems have the potential to affect all of us, whether we live in the countryside or in the city. So, we can never underestimate the adverse effects bring by saline soil.

This leads to costly maintenance and repair by homeowners and government.

Salinity also reduces the productivity of crops and the sustainability of agriculture. It affects the health of our rivers and streams, in extreme cases the water may be too salty for animals and humans to drink. Where there are buildings, fences, roads and other infrastructure, they can be damaged by saline soil and water. Foundations can crumble, and roads degrade, increasing the risks of accidents and causing large repair bills.

damaging infrastructurebuildings, roads, bridges and sewerage linesand reducing the diversity of our native plants and animals. infrastructure and decreasing the lifespan of road pavements, bitumen, concrete, and brick structures
Salinity damage shortens the life of urban infrastructure such as roads, buildings, water and sewage pipes. This leads to costly maintenance and repair by homeowners and councils. The movement of excess water and salt in parks and gardens can affect plant growth and cause plant death. Sports grounds and recreation areas affected by urban salinity may become bare, unattractive and unusable. Soil properties can be altered significantly making it hard to revegetate these areas. Pockets of native vegetation in and around urban landscapes may also be affected. This can have serious consequences including the disappearance of native flora and fauna and poor downstream water quality. High levels of chloride slow the absorption of nutrients and interfere with photosynthesis, stunting productivity of the plant. If the soil has too much salt, it will certainly affect vine growth and its maturity. The best wine grapes come from certain regions, like France, not

only because of the climates there. Wine growers know that soil type is also very important when growing grapes for wine production.

i. inducing major changes in the landscape through destruction of natural habitats, both on land and in water, leading to irreparable losses of biodiversity; ii. being closely linked to other soil degradation issues such as soil erosion; iii. having a major impact on agricultural production; iv. causing damage to infrastructure and decreasing the lifespan of road pavements, bitumen, concrete, and brick structures; and most significantly, causing the off-site impact of salinising previously fresh rivers. This adversely affects the quality of water for drinking and irrigation, with serious economic, social and environmental consequences for both rural and urban communities.