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Salt Tolerance and Suitability of Various Grasses for Saline Roadsides¹

ABSTRACT

Forage yields of five grass species: Agropyron cristatum (L.) Gaertn., A. smithii Rydb., Lolium perenne L., Poa pratensis L., and Puccinellia distans (L.) Parl., were studied in soil under greenhouse conditions with NaCl additions of 0; 5,000; 10,000; and 20,000 ppm. Forage yield of P. distans was reduced 23% by addition of 20,000 ppm NaCl, compared to a minimum reduction of 40% for the other grass species. Addition of 30,000 ppm NaCl to soil completely inhibited seedling survival of A. cristatum, A. smithii, Elymus triticoides Buckl., P. distans, Puccinellia lemmoni (Vasey) Scribn., and Sporobolus airoides (Torr.) Torr. Puccinellia airoides (Nutt.) Wats. and Coult. and P. distans were unusually toleran to foliar applications of NaCl in the field.

Mineral analysis of leaf tissue by emission spectroscopy showed that Na concentrations increased as NaCl addition to the soil increased. However, there was no relationship between salt tolerance of the various grasses and amounts of Na in leaf tissue. Increased NaCl addition to the soil resulted in decreased leaf Ca and Mg, but no relationship existed between leaf K and NaCl addition.

P. distans is of value for vegetating saline roadsides.

Key Words: roadside turfgrass • Agropyron cristatum (L.) Gaertn. • Agropyron smithii Rydb. • Elymus triticoides Buckl. • Lolium perenne L. • Poa pratensis L. • Puccinellia airoides (Nutt.) Wats. and Coult. • Puccinellia distans (L.) Parl. • Puccinellia lemmoni (Vasey) Scribn. • Sporobolus airoides (Torr.) Torr.

¹ Contribution from the Department of Horticulture, Illinois Agr. Exp. Sta. Work conducted under Hatch Project 65-363 and in cooperation with the Illinois Department of Transportation.

² Assistant Professor of Turfgrass Management, former Associate Professor of Turfgrass Extension (now Associate Professor of Turfgrass Extension, Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, Colorado), and former Graduate Research Assistant, respectively, Dept. of Horticulture, Univ. of Illinois, Urbana 61801.

Received for publication January 29, 1974.