Landscape plant lists for salt tolerance assessment

Abstract:

Plant Responses to Soil Salinity (Table Series A): The experiment to evaluate plant tolerance to soil salinity was conducted in a greenhouse. One gallon size plants were transplanted to 3 gallon pots containing loamy sand, and were irrigated with solutions of five levels of salinity; 800, 2000, 5000, 7500 and 10000 ppm for 6 months. The electrical conductivity (EC) of these solutions was, respectively, 1.2, 4.4, 9.4, 13.7 and 17 dS m-1. About 80% of the salts in these solutions were in the form of NaCl. About 1/3 of the solutions applied was allowed to drain so as to avoid salt accumulation. Under this irrigation regime, salinity of the soil saturation extract (an official method of determining soil salinity) is approximately equal to the salinity of irrigation water used. Plant growth and leaf injury were recorded photographically. Results were analyzed to determine the soil salinity which causes a 50% growth reduction or foliar salt damage on at least 25% of the leaves. In the case of turf and ground cover grasses, a 25% reduction in growth, instead of the conventional 50% reduction was used. This reflects field observation that growth of turf in high traffic area is critically important. Tested plant species were then classified into five categories, following the US Salinity Laboratory classification: sensitive (0–3 dS m-1), moderately sensitive (3–6 dS m-1), moderately tolerant (6–8 dS m-1), tolerant (8–10 dS m-1), and highly tolerant (> 10 dS m-1). The EC values shown in salt tolerance classification must be determined in the soil saturation extract made from soil samples collected from the main root zone.

Año de publicación:

2004

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Fuente:

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