Mineral Concentration of Forage Grasses at Different Salinity Levels of Soil

Abstract

Climatic change increase the sea level that causes soil salinization. High salt concentration in soils inhibits crop growth and production The lower limit of sat-uration extract electrical conductivity of saline soil is conventionally set at 4 dS m-1. The research was conducted to evaluate mineral concentration of five forage grasses (Panicum maximum, Setaria sphacelata, Euchlaena mexicana, Brachiaria brizantha, and Cynodon plectostachyus) at non saline soil (EC = 0,5 dS m-1) and saline soil (EC= 11 dS m-1). The experiment design in this research using split plot with forage grasses as main plots and different salinity level of soil (non saline and saline) as sub plots. Sodium concentration of herbage increased significantly (P<0.05) at saline soil. Herbage nitrogen concentration was not different between non saline and saline soil, except for B. brizantha. Forage grasses had similar con-centration of phosphorous at different salinity level of soil, except for S. sphacelata. Potassium concentration of P. maximum S. sphacelata, E. mexicana, B. brizantha, and C. plectostachyus herbage was significantly lower (P<0.05) at saline soil. In conclusion, high salt concentration at saline soil reduced potassium uptake. Sodium uptake was higher at saline soil than non saline soil.