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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 60(1)

The influence of NaCl salinity and hypoxia on aspects of growth in Trifolium species*

M. E. Rogers A B H , T. D. Colmer A C , K. Frost A C , D. Henry A D , D. Cornwall A B , E. Hulm A D , S. Hughes A E , P. G. H. Nichols A C F and A. D. Craig A G
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Cooperative Research Centre for Future Farm Industries, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.

B Department of Primary Industries Victoria, Tatura, Vic. 3616, Australia.

C School of Plant Biology, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.

D CSIRO Livestock Industries, Wembley, WA 6913, Australia.

E South Australian Research and Development Institute, Waite Institute, Adelaide, SA 5001, Australia.

F Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia, Locked Bag 4, Bentley Delivery Centre, WA 6983, Australia.

G South Australian Research and Development Institute, Struan Agricultural Centre, Naracoorte, SA 5271, Australia.

H Corresponding author. Email: MaryJane.Rogers@dpi.vic.gov.au

Crop and Pasture Science 60(1) 71-82 https://doi.org/10.1071/CP08123
Submitted: 14 April 2008  Accepted: 8 September 2008   Published: 5 January 2009

Abstract

The effects of salinity and hypoxia on growth, nutritive value, and ion relations were evaluated in 38 species of Trifolium and 3 check legume species (Trifolium fragiferum, Trifolium michelianum, and Medicago sativa) under glasshouse conditions, with the aim of identifying species that may be suitable for saline and/or waterlogged conditions. In the first set of experiments, plants were grown hydroponically at four NaCl concentrations (0, 40, 80, and 160 mm NaCl) and harvested after exposure to these treatments for 4 weeks. NaCl concentrations up to 160 mm reduced dry matter production in most species; however, there were differences in salt tolerance among species, with T. argutum, T. diffusum, T. hybridum, and T. ornithopodioides performing well under the saline conditions (dry matter production was reduced by less than 20%). Concentrations of Na+ and Cl− in the shoots increased with increasing salinity levels, and species again differed in their capacity to limit the uptake of these ions. Dry matter digestibility at 0 mm ranged from 49.8% (T. palaestinum) to 74.0% (T. vesiculosum) and decreased with increasing NaCl concentrations. A second set of experiments evaluated the tolerance of Trifolium species to hypoxic conditions in the glasshouse. Shoot growth, and to a lesser extent root growth, were reduced in all Trifolium species when plants were exposed to stagnant, non-aerated conditions for 28 days, but T. michelianum, T. resupinatum, T. squamosum, T. nigrescens, T. ornithopodioides, T. salmoneum, and T. fragiferum were the least affected species. All species acclimated to the oxygen-depleted conditions by increasing the gas-filled porosity in the roots. This study has provided information that will assist in the identification of forage species for saline and/or waterlogged areas.

Additional keywords: salt tolerance, clovers, anaerobic conditions, digestibility, Na+/K+ ratio, pasture legumes.


Acknowledgments

We thank Dr Lynley Stone, Mr Kevin Kelly, and an anonymous referee for providing valuable comments on the manuscript. This research was funded by the CRC Future Farm Industries and the relevant partner organisations.


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*This is one of the three papers to be published in Crop & Pasture Science from the Second International Salinity Forum held in Adelaide, South Australia, 30 March–3 April 2008. These papers deal with salinity management and include studies on perennial-based farming systems, pasture legumes and woody perennials. A full set of papers from the Congress is available on the website: www.internationalsalinityforum.org/14_final.html.