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Tall Wheatgrass and Russian Wildrye Growth on Natrustoll Horizons Treated with Phosphate and Calcium Amendments¹

The central Great Plains of Colorado and Wyoming contain over 500,000 ha of saltgrass [Distichlis stricta (Torr.) Rydb.] meadows. In many places these meadows are subirrigated by a shallow, nonsaline water table. Rehabilitation of these meadows with palatable, salt-tolerant species would greatly increase the grazing capacity. We conducted a greenhouse study to evaluate the effects of three levels of phosphate (P) and two levels of Ca on herbage growth and on the root development of tall wheatgrass [Agropyron elongatum (Host) Beauv.] and Russian wildrye (Elymus junceus Fisch.) when grown in a mixed horizon and in a simulated profile of Typic Natrustoll soils. Both species showed significant increases in herbage production with P and substantial increases in P uptake. Calcium treatments and P x Ca interactions were significant only in the second and third herbage harvests and in roots of tall wheatgrass. Tall wheatgrass absorbed considerable quantities of Na* (>1%), while Russian wildrye absorbed appreciably less, which suggests an exclusion mechanism for Na* by Russian wildrye. No direct enhancement effect was noted in plant vigor due to fertility-salinity interactions. In the mixed horizon treatment, which simulates plowing to a depth that would mix saline C horizon material with the A and B horizons, tall wheatgrass responded to both P and Ca, and Russian wildrye responded to P. One should avoid plowing into the saline C horizon, but if this cannot be avoided, applications of P and Ca fertilizer may help ameliorate the effects of the salinity. In the simulated horizon treatment, which simulates cultural practices that do not mix the C horizon with the A and B horizons, the addition of P and Ca was neither necessary nor beneficial.

Key Words: Solonetz • Chemical amendment • Distichlis stricta (Torr.) • Agropyron elongatum (Host) Beauv. • Elymus junceus Fisch

² Soil scientist and range scientist, respectively, USDA, SEA-AR. Crops Research Lab., Colorado State Univ., Fort Collins, CO 80523.

Received for publication July 14, 1980.

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