Salt Tolerance Of Some Potential Forage Grasses From Cholistan Desert Of Pakistan

Abstract

Cholistan desert located in the southeast of the Punjab province, Pakistan, covering an area of 25,800 km 2 is a part of Greater Thar desert. The soil types characteristically include: sand dunes, sandy soils with patches of non-saline non-sodic loamy soils and sodic clayey soils. Vegetation structure and density are greatly influenced by the rainfall. During low rainfall years even drinking water gets scarce and both the plant and animal communities are adversely affected. Biodiversity assessment survey was carried out during 1997-98. The dominant species of the lesser Cholistan among grasses were Aristida adscensionis, Ochthochloa compressa, Lasiurus scindicus, Cymbopogon jwarancusa, Cenchrus biflorus, Sporobolus ioclados and Aeluropus lagopoides, whereas that of Greater Cholistan Aeluropus lagopoides, Aristida adscensionis, Cenchrus biflorus, Cenchrus pennesetiformis, Cymbopogon jwarancusa, Lasiurus scindicus, Panicum antidotale and Panicum turgidum. Like other deserts, the major problem in the area is the scarcity of good quality water. The subsoil water in most places of Cholistan is brackish and unfit for normal plant growth. It is highly probable that by adopting biological approach the vast area of Cholistan can be economically exploited. Salinity tolerance of four potential forage grass species, Cenchrus pennesetiformis, Panicum turgidum, Pennisetum divisum and Leptochloa fusca, including one highly tolerant exotic grass species Puccinellia distans was assessed after 6 weeks growth at four salinity treatments, 2.4 (control), 8, 16 and 24 dS m -1