Evaluation of Products to Alleviate Irrigation Salinity Stress on Bermudagrass Turf

CORE IDEAS: Availability of water in arid zone may prevent the use of leaching; therefore, alternative methods need to be identified to manage salinity. Identify which commercially available products that are supposed to ameliorate soil chemical and physical characteristic have a real impact on soil chemistry. Test if soil salinity is affected not only by irrigation practices, but also other environmental factors, such as evapotranspiration. Increasing salinity issues caused by insufficient precipitation, drought, and increasing use of alternative nonpotable sources of irrigation water are a major concern for turf management in the southwestern United States. Modification of soil physicochemical properties that result from salinity is one means of alleviating plant salinity stress. A field study was conducted in 2013 and 2014 at the University of California, Riverside turfgrass research facility in Riverside, CA. Six commercial programs were tested for their ability to alleviate salinity stress on ‘Tifway II’ hybrid bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. × C. transvaalensis Burtt‐Davy] irrigated with saline water (electrical conductivity = EC ≈ 4.4 dS m⁻¹). These included: CrossOver (calcium silicate, magnesium silicate, and monosilicic acid); Revert (polyalkylene glycol); SUNBurst Cal Plus 8% (calcium carbonate and calcium nitrate) applied at 0.23 or 0.47 mL m⁻²; a combination of DeSal (carboxylic acid), Stress Rx (potassium nitrate, potassium acetate, and calcium nitrate) and XP Micro (urea, magnesium nitrate, manganese nitrate, manganese sulfate, ferrous sulfate, iron EDTA, kelp extract); and Turfcare Natural Plant Nutrient (Meliaceae spp. extracts). Plots were evaluated every 2 wk for visual turf quality, and Digital Image Analysis. Leachate was also collected and analyzed for EC on the same day. Soil samples were collected and analyzed for salinity at the end of each growing season. DeSal + Stress RX + XP Micro was the only treatment that resulted in acceptable visual quality (6.4) and decreased sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) and Na content in the rootzone by the end of the study.