STUDIES ON SALINITY TOLERANCE OF SOME ORNAMENTAL PALMS PLANTS

Abstract

Two pot experiments were carried out at Orman Botanical Garden, Giza, Egypt in two successive seasons of 1995/1996 and 1996/1997. These experiments aimed to study the response of 4 ornamental palms transpl<mt (two years-old) namely: Chanwreops humilis, Phoenix conaricnsis, l'tycho. JJC/'1110 elegans and Roystonea regia to 15 salt levels, plus the control in which the soil was not salinized with any salt. Salts used were NaCI, CaC12 and their mixture at I: I by weight of each, the concentrations of the salts and their mixture were 0.5, I .0, 1.5, 2.0, and 2.5 g. salt/ I 00 g. soil in the first season (1995/1996). In the second one ( 1996/ 1997) salts levels were modified according to occurred mortality of the treated plants to be either 0.50, 0.75, 1.00, 1.25 and 1.50 g. salt/!00 g soil, for Ptycho.\perma elegans and Roystonea regia or 1.50, 2.00, 2.25 and 2.50 g. sal til 00 g. soil for Chamaerops humilis and Phoenix cana!'iensis.