Salinity

Constraint - Salinity

Symptoms

• Plants on waterlogged and mildly saline areas will be pale and show reddened/yellowed older leaves
• As salinity increases, plants will become stunted older leaves showing necrosis and tip death
• Roots die back and are more susceptible to fungal rot
• Plants are more liable to lodge and mature prematurely 

Damage

• Seedlings may die or seeds fail to germinate
• If salinity is severe, mature plants may die
• Yield penalty can be severe

Management

Naturally saline soils cannot be ameliorated but instead must be managed according to seasonal variability. Canola is poorly adapted to soils with secondary salinity (salt accumulation and waterlogging). Engineering solutions such as drainage may be possible for secondary salinity but must be assessed on a site by site basis, and can be costly.

Links and Resources

DAFWA - Salinity in canola Introduction, what to look for in paddock and plant, what else it could be, where does it occur, management strategies, and monitoring. Page last updated 2014.

DPI NSW - Dryland salinity 6 page PDF. What is dryland salinity, primary or secondary salinity, salt sources, the groundwater system, causes of dryland salinity, the effect of salt on plants and soil, impacts of dryland salinity. Published 2009.

DPI NSW - Salinity symptoms 5 page PDF. Introduction, symptoms, dryland salinity, irrigation salinity, urban salinity, salinity indicator species, and investigating salinity on your property. Published 2009.

GRDC - Best Practice Management Guide. Salinity Page 38. Brief information on tolerance levels of canola. Page 71. Salinity tolerance, and management of saline paddocks. Published 2009.