GENECOLOGICAL STUDIES OF SALT TOLERANCE IN GROUNDSEL (SENECIO VULGARIS L.) WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO ROADSIDE HABITATS

Abstract

Salt contamination of soils has been studied in a range of habitat types of groundsel (Senecio vulgaris L.). Evidence suggests that roadsides salted in winter and areas around salt dumps have high mean values of exchangeable sodium; lower values have been found for coastal areas, and inland sites not known to be salted. Salt tolerance tests‐both in Petri‐dish experiments and in soils irrigated with different salt solutions‐suggest that topodemes from sites subject to salting are, in general, more salt tolerant than those from non‐salted areas. This apparently simple relationship is critically examined. Genecological implications of salt tolerance patterns are fully discussed. Copyright © 1978, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reserved