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Response of Pelargonium zonale to salinity Kupska A., Trelka T., Breś W.

Poznan University of Life Science

Faculty of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture

a_kupska @ tlen.pl

Because of the application of sodium chloride for the removal of snów from streets and pavements, soil salinity starts to become a serious problem. Soil salinity contributes to soil degradation deteriorating its physical, Chemical and biological properties. These conditions are not favourable for plants because of salt stress. Such situation results in the decrease of water uptake by plants, causing in conseąuence a disturbance of many physiological processes. Ali information referring to the reaction of plants to salinity can be very valuable for the administrators of green areas, both in the phases of planning and establishing of parks, lawns and sidewalk green belts. The aim of this study was to evaluate the reaction of Pelargonium zonale to an increasing NaCl content in the substrate.

The experiment was carried out from April to July in a greenhouse at Department of Horticultural Plant Nutrition. In the experiment, the Pelargonium zonale ‘Samba’ cultivar was used. Plants were planted in pots filled with limed high-moor peat enriched with the necessary nutritional components. Diversified content of sodium was obtained by adding NaCl to substrate in the rangę of 0 to 500 mg-dnT³. During the whole period of growth, the substrate moisture was relatively eąualized. The experiment was terminated in the fuli stage of pelargonium blooming. Six morphological features were measured.

The results have shown that an increasing concentration of sodium chloride affected negatively on the analysed morphological features of Pelargonium zonale. Salinity treatment decreased plant height and plant fresh weight, decreased number of leaves and inflorescences. Plants that were grown in a substrate with an increased content of salt also had a significantly shorter length of the main shoots and smaller leaf area in comparison to the control plants. However, there was no visual symptoms of sodium excess on the leaves. Salinity did not exert any influence on the term of pelargonium plants blooming.

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