Abstract
The tolerance of six cool-season grasses and six warm-season grasses to three kinds of salt was examined in solution culture. Among the cool-season grasses, tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) was the most tolerant to all three salts. Among the warm-season grasses, bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.) was the most tolerant to excess calcium chloride and sodium chloride, while bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum Flugge) was the most tolerant to excess magnesium chloride. A positive and significant correlation was found between estimates of the concentration at which plant growth decreases by 50% (C50) in the presence of excess CaCl2 and those in the presence of excess NaCl. The C50 estimates in excess MgCl2, however, were not correlated with those in the other two salts. The results suggest that common physiological mechanism confers tolerance to both excess CaCl2 and excess NaCl, but a different mechanism to excess MgCl2.
