A detailed examination was made into the soil salinity distribution of two Atriplex communities, A. vesicaria and A. nummularia, established at regular spacings on two soil types. The results based on total soluble salts and chlorides suggested that both saltbush species induced significantly higher salinity in the 0-15 cm soil horizon beneath the bush canopies compared to between the bushes, although A. nummularia induced significantly higher salinity than A. vesicaria on both the soils. The pH was also significantly increased under the bushes, but only for the 0-7.5 cm layer. A mechanism for plant-induced soil salinity is proposed by which distinct zones of salt depletion, accumulation and compensation are established. It is suggested that the accumulation of significantly large quantities of salt in the surface layer under the bushes occurred as a result of decomposition of large quantities of salt-rich leaves and fruits. This salt is mainly derived from the soil profile under the plant. Implications of the spatial variability in soil salinity are discussed. This material was digitized as part of a cooperative project between the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. The Journal of Range Management archives are made available by the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact lbry-journals@email.arizona.edu for further information. Migrated from OJS platform August 2020
Scholarly peer-reviewed articles published by the Society for Range Management. Access articles on a rolling-window basis from vol. 1, 1948 up to 5 years from the current year. Formerly Journal of Range Management (JRM). More recent content is available by subscription from SRM.