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ARS Home Pacific West Area Riverside, California Agricultural Water Efficiency and Salinity Research Unit Docs Databases





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- Fiber, Grain and Special Crops
- Grasses and Forage Crops
- Boron Tolerance of Crops

Salt Tolerance - Grasses and Forage Crops -
 Common Name
Botanical Name
Threshold dS/m (c)
Slope % per dS/m
Rating (d)Vetch, common
Vicia angustifolia
3.0
11.0
MSRescuegrass
Bromus unioloides
--
--
MT*Rhodesgrass
Chloris Gayana
--
--
MTRye (forage)
Secale cereale
--
--
MS*Ryegrass, Italian
Lolium italicum multiflorum
--
--
MT*Ryegrass, perennial
L. perenne
5.6
7.6
MTSaltgrass, desert
Distichlis stricta
--
--
T*Sesbania
Sesbania exaltata
2.3
7.0
MSSirato
Macroptilium atropurpureum
--
--
MSSphaerophysa
Sphaerophysa salsula
2.2
7.0
MSSudangrass
Sorghum sudanense
2.8
4.3
MTTimothy
Phleum pratense
--
--
MS*Trefoil, big
Lotus uliginosus
2.3
19.0
MSWheat (forage) (i)
Triticum aestivum
4.5
2.6
MTWheat, Durum (forage)
T. turgidum
2.1
2.5
MTWheatgrass, standard crested
Agropyron sibiricum
3.5
4.0
MTWheatgrass, fairway crested
A. cristatum
7.5
6.9
TWheatgrass, intermediate
A. intermedium
--
--
MT*Wheatgrass, slender
A. trachycaulum
--
--
MTWheatgrass, tall
A. elongatum
7.5
4.2
TWheatgrass, western
A. Smithii
--
--
MT*Wildrye, Altai
Elymus angustus
--
--
TWildrye, beardless
E. triticoides
2.7
6.0
MTWildrye, Canadian
E. canadensis
--
--
MT*Wildrye, Russian
E. Junceus
--
--
TTrefoil, narrowleaf birdsfoot
L. corniculatus tenuifolium
5.0
10.0
MTTrefoil, broadleaf birdsfoot
L. corniculatus arvenis
--
--
MTPanicgrass, blue
Panicum antidotale
--
--
MT*Rape
Brassica napus
--
--
MT*Alfalfa
Medicago sativa
2.0
7.3
MSAlkaligrass,Nuttall
Puccinellia airoides
--
--
T*Alkali sacaton
Sporobolus airoides
--
--
T*Barley (forage) (e)
Hordeum vulgare
6.0
7.1
MTBentgrass
Agrostis stolonifera palustris
--
--
MSBermudagrass (j)
Cynodon Dactylon
6.9
6.4
TBluestem, Angleton
Dichanthium aristatum
--
--
MS*Brome,mountain
Bromus marginatus
--
--
MT*Brome,smooth
B.inermis
--
--
MTBuffelgrass
Cenchrus ciliaris
--
--
MS*Burnet
Poterium Sanguisorba
--
--
MS*Canarygrass,reed
Phalaris arundinacea
--
--
MTClover, alsike
Trifolium hybridum
1.5
12.0
MSClover, Berseem
T. alexandrinum
1.5
5.7
MSClover, Hubam
Melilotus alba
--
--
MT*Clover, ladino
Trifolium repens
1.5
12.0
MSClover, red
T. pratense
1.5
12.0
MSClover, strawberry
T. fragiferum
1.5
12.0
MSClover, sweet
Melilotus
--
--
MT*Clover, white Dutch
Trifolium repens
--
--
MS*Corn (forage) (f)
Zea mays
1.8
7.4
MSCowpea (forage)
Vigna unguiculata
2.5
11.0
MSDallisgrass
Paspalum dilatatum
--
--
MS*Fescue, tall
Festuca elatior
3.9
5.3
MTFescue, meadow
F. pratensis
--
--
MT*Foxtail, meadow
Alopecurus pratensis
1.5
9.6
MSGrama, blue
Bouteloua gracilis
--
--
MS*Hardinggrass
Phalaris tuberosa
4.6
7.6
MTKallargrass
Diplachne fusca
--
--
T*Lovegrass (k)
Eragrostis sp.
2.0
8.4
MSMilkvetch,Cicer
Astragalus cicer
--
--
MS*Oatgrass, tall
Arrhenatherum, Danthonia
--
--
MS*Oats (forage)
Avena sativa
--

MS*Orchardgrass
Dactylis glomerata
1.5
6.2
MS
 Mass (1990)(a) Salinity Ratings codes
Salinity Ratings refer to the level of salt tolerance: M = moderate; T = tolerant; S = sensitive; MS = moderately sensitive; MT = moderately tolerantNotes:
(a) These data serve only a guideline to relative tolerances among crops. Absolute tolerances vary, depending upon climate, soil conditions, and cultural practices.(b) Botanical and common names follow the convention of Hortus Third (Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium Staff, 1976) where possible.(c) In gypsiferous soils, plants will tolerate ECe about 2 dS/m higher than indicated.(d) Ratings with a * are estimates.(e) Less tolerant during seedling stage, ECe at this stage should not exceed 4 or 5 dS/m.(f) Grain and forage yields of DeKalb XL-75 grown on an organic muck soil decreased about 26% per dS/m above a threshold of 1.9 dS/m.(g) Paddy rice is grown under flooded conditions, thus electrical conductivity of the soil water refers to the plants while submerged. Less tolerant during seedling stage.(h) Sensitive during germination and emergence, ECe should not exceed 3 dS/m.(i) Data from one cultivar, "Probred".(j) Average of serveral varieties. Suwannee and Coastal are about 20% more tolerant, and common and Greenfield are about 20% less tolerant than the average.(k) Average for Boer, Wilman, Sand, and Weeping cultivars. Lehmann seems about 50% more tolerant.(l) Broadleaf birdsfoot trefoil seems less tolerant than narrowleaf.(m) Sesame cultivars, Sesaco 7 and 8, may be more tolerant than indicated by the S rating.


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