Turfgrass Systems for Saline Irrigation Water

Abstract

Seashore Paspalum (Paspalum vaginatum) is a warm-season halophyte with excellent salt tolerance after establishment. In areas which require overseeding, there is a need for a cool-season counterpart suitable for over-seeding. The goal of this field research is to evaluate a year-round turfgrass system for saline conditions using perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne), alkaligrass (Puccinellia distans), and a combination of perennial ryegrass and Puccinellia as the cool-season grasses. In the summer months, paspalum quality and density were reduced when overseeded with ryegrass or with a combination of puccinellia and ryegrass. Ryegrass quality and density decreased slightly as irrigation water salinity was increased from 0 to 3000 to 6000 mg/L. In addition, the percentage of cover by overseeded ryegrass decreased significantly when 6000 mg/L irrigation water was applied. Puccinellia was much more sensitive to salinity than ryegrass and overall quality, turf density, and percent cover by puccinellia were greatly reduced by addition of salt. However, in the absence of added salt, puccinellia quality, percent cover, density, and color were generally greater than that of ryegrass. The puccinellia/ryegrass overseed mixture generally performed intermediate relative to either grass alone.