Acceptable Salinity Level for Saline Water Irrigation of Tall Wheatgrass in Edaphoclimatic Scenarios of the Coastal Saline–Alkaline Land around Bohai Sea

Wei Li, Junliang Yin, Dongfang Ma (), Qi Zheng, Hongwei Li (), Jianlin Wang, Maolin Zhao, Xiaojing Liu and Zhensheng Li
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Wei Li: Key Laboratory of Sustainable Crop Production in the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River/Engineering Research Center of Ecology and Agricultural Use of Wetland, Ministry of Education, Hubei Collaborative Innovation Center for Grain Industry, College of Agriculture, Yangtze University, Jingzhou 434000, China
Junliang Yin: Key Laboratory of Sustainable Crop Production in the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River/Engineering Research Center of Ecology and Agricultural Use of Wetland, Ministry of Education, Hubei Collaborative Innovation Center for Grain Industry, College of Agriculture, Yangtze University, Jingzhou 434000, China
Dongfang Ma: Key Laboratory of Sustainable Crop Production in the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River/Engineering Research Center of Ecology and Agricultural Use of Wetland, Ministry of Education, Hubei Collaborative Innovation Center for Grain Industry, College of Agriculture, Yangtze University, Jingzhou 434000, China
Qi Zheng: State Key Laboratory of Plant Cell and Chromosome Engineering, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Hongwei Li: State Key Laboratory of Plant Cell and Chromosome Engineering, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Jianlin Wang: Zhongke-Dongying Research Center of Molecular Designed Breeding, Dongying 257509, China
Maolin Zhao: Zhongke-Dongying Research Center of Molecular Designed Breeding, Dongying 257509, China
Xiaojing Liu: Center for Agricultural Resources Research, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050022, China
Zhensheng Li: State Key Laboratory of Plant Cell and Chromosome Engineering, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China

Agriculture, 2023, vol. 13, issue 11, 1-19

Abstract: Saline water irrigation contributes significantly to forage yield. However, the acceptable salinity levels for saline water irrigation of tall wheatgrass remains unclear. In this study, field supplemental irrigations of transplanted-tall wheatgrass with saline drainage waters having salinities of electrical conductivity (EC w ) = 2.45, 4.36, 4.42, and 5.42 dS m −1 were conducted to evaluate the effects of saline water irrigation on forage yield and soil salinization. In addition, the effects of plastic film mulching, fertilization, and saline water irrigation on sward establishment of seed-propagated tall wheatgrass were determined. Finally, a pot experiment was carried out to confirm the above field results. The results showed that two irrigations with EC w = 2.45 and 4.36 dS m −1 saline waters produced the highest dry matter yield, followed by one irrigation with EC w = 4.42 or 5.42 dS m −1 . After rainfall leaching, the soil EC 1:5 was reduced by 41.7–79.3% for the saline water irrigation treatments. In combination with saline water irrigation, plastic film mulching promoted sward establishment and enhanced the plant height and dry matter yield of seed-propagated tall wheatgrass, while fertilization played a marginal role. However, two irrigations with EC w = 7.13 and 4.36 dS m −1 saline waters resulted in rates of 3.2% and 16.0% of dead plants under the mulching and no mulching conditions, respectively. Furthermore, a pot experiment demonstrated that irrigation with EC w = 5.79 dS m −1 saline water led to the lowest reduction in forage yield and the highest crude protein content in leaves. However, the plants irrigated with EC w ≥ 6.31 dS m −1 saline water enhanced soil salinity and reduced the plant height, leaf size, and gas exchange rate. Conclusively, one irrigation with EC w ≤ 5.42 dS m −1 and SAR ≤ 36.31 saline water at the end of April or early May could be acceptable for tall wheatgrass production and minimize the soil salinization risk in the coastal saline–alkaline land around the Bohai Sea.

Keywords: saline water irrigation; saline–alkaline soil; forage yield; tall wheatgrass; coastal grass belt (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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