The mineral content of river saltbush (Atriplex amnicola) changes when sodium chloride in the irrigation solution is increased
2009
Masters, D. | Tiong, M. | Norman, H. | Vercoe, P.E.
Chenopod shrubs accumulate Na, K and Cl. There is little information available on factors affecting the accumulation of these and other minerals in the plants. In this experiment, the accumulation of Na, Cl, K, Ca, S, P, Mg, Cu, Zn and Mn was analysed in river saltbush (Atriplex amnicola). Six different river saltbush genotypes (cloned from different geographical regions) were grown in the glasshouse and irrigated with 1 of 5 NaCl concentrations (0, 50, 100, 200 or 400 mM). There were 6 replicates of each treatment (180 plants in total). Plants were harvested, dried and analysed after 8 weeks of treatment. Increasing the NaCl applied increased (P less than 0.05) the concentrations of Na (+290 per cent), Cl (+260 per cent) and Mn (+36 per cent) but decreased (P less than 0.05) K (-47 per cent), S (-18 per cent), Ca (-46 per cent), Cu (-43 per cent) and Zn (-45 per cent). Na and K concentrations in young river saltbush grown in the low NaCl irrigation solution were not high enough to depress intake or production of ruminants. At NaCl concentrations above 100 mM, the Na and K concentrations in the plants would be predicted to significantly depress intake and growth. The S and Mg concentrations in young river saltbush plants, at all levels of NaCl treatment, were above maximum tolerable levels for ruminants and may depress intake and production. The depression in concentration of K, Ca, Cu and Zn at high NaCl treatments may also predispose ruminants to deficiencies or imbalances depending on the fertility of soil and water
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