Seed production of four Namaqualand pioneer plant species grown on saline soil

Abstract

The mining of heavy minerals along the west coast of South Africa will destroy all the standing vegetation, and will also lead to the salinization of the soil as sea-water will eventually be used in the mining process. Local, salt tolerant species should be selected for the revegetation of the area, and it is essential that the selected species should be able to reproduce to ensure growth of the population. Survival and seed production of four pioneer plant species ( Gazania leiopoda, Dimorphotheca pluvialis, Senecio arenarius and Tetragonia microptera ) were determined along a salinity gradient (0 − 3% NaCl). None of the four species survived at the moderate and high salinities. Seed production of the ephemeral species was reduced at the low salinity, while that of the perennial species did not differ significantly.