DEVELOPMENT OF SOIL-SALINITY DURING GERMINATION AND EARLY SEEDLING GROWTH AND ITS EFFECT ON SEVERAL CROPS

To study the development of soil salinity during germination and early seedling growth experiments were conducted in buckets filled with 20-cm deep soil. The experiments consisted of a control and three saline treatments with initial chloride concentrations of 30, 60 and 90 meq/l. The experiments were carried out on sandy loam, loamy sand and sand. In each soil wheat and sunflower were grown together and were followed by sorghum and safflower together. The crops were irrigated 0, 10, 17 and 24 days after sowing. Moreover an experiment was done in glass cylinders with constant chloride concentrations. During germination and early seedling growth, the salt concentration of the soil water increased strongly due to capillary salt transport to the top layer and due to the decrease in water content during the irrigation interval. Increasing salt concentration delays germination but after ten days a high germination percentage is attained for salt tolerant crops like safflower, sorghum, sunflower and wheat. During early seedling growth these crops appear to be less tolerant than during germination and later growth.