What Does Turfgrass Salinity Tolerance Really Mean?
The most complex and confusing abiotic environmental stress that can be imposed on turfgrass ecosystems is salinity. And there are multiple salinities depending on soil and water pH as well as composition of critical salt ions/compounds: sodium, chlorides, sulfates, bicarbonates, and magnesium. Superimpose changing environmental conditions and site specific soil ecosystem differences, and management becomes a challenge. These salts are a growth regulator, a potential toxin, and a soil + plant accumulator. Bicarbonates and their cation complexes are not absorbed by plants and thus are primarily soil accumulators.
