Effect of Saline Water on the Growth and Chemical Composition of Beans: I. Influence of Soil Dilution

Abstract

AbstractA Bladen clay was divided into two parts and one part diluted with an equal part of sand. Both the whole and diluted soil were potted and planted to beans. Between the seedling stage and the initiation of flowering, four 1‐inch applications of dilute synthetic sea water having EC values of 1, 2, 4, 6 and 8 mmho. per cm. were applied. After harvesting both pods and tops, beans were again planted and the saline irrigation treatments repeated.Saline irrigations produced greater reductions in yield of both pods and tops on the diluted soil than on the whole soil. Little or no differences in composition were obtained between plants grown on the whole and the diluted soil. The Ca, Mg and Na content of the plant increased with increasing salinity, but no change in K content was observed. the cation composition of the saturation extract, expressed as me. per 100 g., was the same for both soils, but the exchangeable cation composition of the whole soil was double that of the diluted soil. It was concluded that the reduction in yield was a function of the salinity of the saturation extract and that plant composition was determined by the equilibrium soil solution rather than the exchangeable cation composition.