What to plant where: Effectively positioning plants in saline/waterlogged landscapes

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This review considers the issue of targeting plants to saline landscapes. A range of recent research has shown that saltland varies in its ability to support plant growth: economic gain is achieved by focusing revegetation into areas of highest capability. The review focuses on two factors that affect capability – salinity and water-logging. Both salinity and water-logging are highly temporally and spatially variable. Plant ecological zonation on saltland is a reflection of the ability of plants to integrate and adapt to this variation.

The review has three parts:

1. We summarise the current means by which salinity and water-logging are measured in Australia.
2. We summarise how salinity and water-logging affect the “competitive advantage” of plants on saltland in southern Australia.
3. We suggest three criteria by which saltland may be broadly categorised in terms of its capability for economic production. These are: (a) can a plant use the groundwater for growth, (b) is the soil water above the water-table suitable for use, and (c) is oxygen available for root-growth and function.

We conclude that broad land capability assessments may be possible by considering the distribution of rainfall, and by examining the depth, salinity and pH of the groundwater, the soil texture above the water-table and the bulk salinity of the soil as determined by electromagnetic induction using the EM38.