Forage production from three grass species under saline irrigation in Egypt

Various approaches have been taken to the treatment of salt-affected land. Use of halophytic plants for forage production on salt-affected soil was suggested and has been called saline agriculture. In Egypt about 96% of the land is desert, where the soil is sandy and most of the available ground-water is too saline to raise and sustain conventional crops. Field trails were carried out in sandy soil at the sea-coast of Suez Gulf to evaluate the productivity of some local and exotic halophytic plants irrigated with diluted seawater (12.5, 25.0, 37.5 and 50.0% seawater). The grass species tested were Leptochloa fusca, Spartina parens, Sporobolus virginicus (Smyrna) and S. virginicus (Dixe). Fresh and dry matter yield of most of the tested plants tended to increase with increasing concentration of seawater from 12.5 to 25%. Further increase in the salinity level of irrigation water tended to decrease biomass production to various degrees according to the plant type. All the tested plants can tolerate harvesting three to four times per year and are capable of recovering and maintaining a productive stand. Dry matter yield ranged between 1.1-6.5 ton ha(-1) year(-1). Leptochloa fusca, Spartina patens and Sporobolus virginicus (Smyrna) appeared to be promising halophytic plants for feeding goats and sheep in desert areas using available saline water for irrigation. (C) 1997 Academic Press Limited.