IDENTIFYING SUITABLE GRASS SPECIES FOR SALINE AREAS

The salt tolerance of 20 lines of perennial grasses, including both na tive Australian and introduced species, was evaluated in 3 separate ex periments over 0-180 mol NaCl/m(3) in the greenhouse, with the aim of identifying material that may be grown productivity in saline areas in Australia, particularly the Murray-Darling Basin. Lolium perenne cv. Victorian, a species that is recognised as having a moderate level of salt tolerance, was included in all experiments as a reference species . In relative terms (as defined by the rate of the decline in dry matt er production under saline conditions), only 5 species or cultivars (P sathyrostachys juncea cvv. Mankota, Tetracan and Vinall, Pascopyrum sm ithii cv. Walsh and Thinopyrum elongatum cv. Tyrell) were more salt to lerant than L. perenne cv. Victorian. However, several species includi ng the native species Enteropogon acicularis and Themeda triandra, and the introduced species Eragrostis curvula cv. Consol and Thinopyrum e longatum, produced more dry matter than L. perenne over NaCl concentra tions ranging from 0 to 180 mol/m(3). The salt tolerance of Danthonia richardsonii was very similar to that of L. perenne. It was concluded that Psathyrostachys juncea, Pascopyrum smithii, Enteropogon aciculari s and D. richardsonii, may offer potential as salt-tolerant germplasm, however, further field studies are recommended in order to fully asse ss the response of this material to saline soil conditions.