Agriculture in saline Vertisols with halophytic forage grasses

Saline black soils (Vertisols), due to their inherent physical and chemical constraints such as high clay content, poor infiltrations and hydraulic conductivity rates and narrow workable moisture range pose serious problems for arable crop production even at low salinity levels. Such soils are quite prevalent in the coastal areas of Gujarat State, a western province in India. Cultivating salt tolerant forage grasses through saline agriculture has been suggested a possible approach to meet the fodder demands for the dairy cattle, a prominent agro-based industry in the State. Eragrostis tenella and Aeluropus lagopoides were cultivated on saline Vertisols with sub-surface salinity problems using saline ground water under different nitrogen regimes. Results indicated that applied nitrogen, while favouring forage biomass, reduced per se salt content in the tissues and also enhanced forage quality. Nitrogen given at the rate of 60 kg ha-1 has been found ideal for growing grasses on such soils. These grasses have the potential to remove salt from the soils. Salt compartmentation at tissue levels indicated roots and older leaves as potential sinks for toxic ions like sodium. Aeluropus has been found a better salt remover than Eragrostis and this grass also had better forage quality traits suggesting the possibility of using this grass in saline agriculture programmes in the region