Response of Tree Species to Compound Effects of Salinity and Waterlogging

A field experiment was conducted to evaluate the performance of tree species in salinewaterlogged soils during 1991-1998 at Agricultural Research Station, Gangavati, Karnataka. Six tree species viz: Hardwickia binata, Sesbania grandiflora, Acacia nilotica, Dalbergia sissoo, Casuarina equisetifolia and Azadirachta indica and a grass (Pennisetum purpureum) was selected for the study. Tree performance was evaluated in terms of survival, height, diameter (dbh) and canopy width in different salinity blocks (range <5 to >15 dS/m). Effect of combined stress of shallow water table and salinity (SEWN) on various growth parameters after two years of planting was also studied. Based on various tree growth parameters, A. nilotica out performed all other species at all salinity levels followed by C. equisetifolia. Higher establishment and better growth rate made it more suitable for saline conditions. A. nilotica and D. sissoo exbibited regenerability under its own cover. Growth of tree species was strongly related to SEWN than to isolated stress of shallow water table or salinity.