Chemical Composition of Native Range Grasses Growing on Saline Soils of the South Texas Plains

Abstract

During the growing seasons of 1976 and 1977, six native range grass species and a composite of miscellaneous grasses growing on Saline Clay and Rolling Hardland range sites (both sites have saline soils) in south Texas were analyzed for percentage content of crude protein (CP), P, Ca, Mg, K, and Na. Levels of CP, P, K, and Na were generally highest after periods of adequate rainfall in late spring, summer, and early fall and lowest in late fall as the grasses went into dormancy. Levels of Ca and Mg remained relatively stable through the growing season and showed little relationship to rainfall. Grasses from the Saline Clay site had slightly higher levels of the chemical constituents than those grasses from the Rolling Hardland site.