Document Type

Conference Proceeding

Publication Date

2008

Conference Title

Multifunctional Grasslands in a Changing World - XXI International Grassland Congress and VIII International Rangeland Congress

Place of Publication

Mongolia, China

Keywords

grasslands, soil, revegetation, Western Australia, Salinity, waterlogging, water‐use, forage, nutritive‐value

Disciplines

Soil Science

Abstract

Secondary salinity (salinity induced by human activity) is a major world problem. Hydrological imbalances in landscapes cause watertables to rise, drawing salt from deeper in the soil profile to the soil surface, where the combined stresses of salinity and waterlogging threaten the growth of crops and pastures. The reversal of salinity by the broad‐scale reintroduction of perennial plants back into landscapes may not be economically feasible, but watertables may be at least partly directly drawn‐down by the grow th of salt tolerant plants (halophytes) on saltland . This review summarises data from Australia in which the water use by perennial halophytes has been sufficient to facilitate the growth of the less salt tolerant under‐storey legumes balansa clover (Trifolium michelianum ) and burr medic (Medicago polymorpha). Although the halophytes may have undesirable nutritive value traits, these plants, mixed with the under‐storey species are then able to be utilised profitably by grazing sheep.

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