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International Journal of Horticulture 2014, Vol.4, No.13, 64
-
71
http://ijh.biopublisher.ca
64
Research Report Open Access
Influence of Sea Sprays on Growth and Visual Quality of Seashore Paspalum
(
Paspalum vaginatum
O. Swartz) use in Beach Landscaping
Otitoloju Kekere
Department of Plant Science and Biotechnology, Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, Ondo State, Nigeria
Corresponding author email: kekereekunnoi@yahoo.com;
Authors
International Journal of Horticulture, 2014, Vol.4, No.13 doi: 10.5376/ijh.2014.04.0013
Received: 18 Apr., 2014
Accepted: 12 May, 2014
Published: 13 Jun., 2014
Copyright
© 2014 Kekere, This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted
use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Preferred citation for this article
:
Kekere, 2014, Influence of Sea Sprays on Growth and Visual Quality of Seashore Paspalum (
Paspalum vaginatum
O. Swartz) use in Beach Landscaping,
International Journal of Horticulture, 2014, Vol.4, No.13 64-71 (doi: 10.5376/ijh.2014.04.0013)
Abstract
Growth and visual quality of
Paspalum vaginatum
O. Swartz were examined, to determine its responses to various levels of
air-borne salinity and to have an insight in the ecophysiological adaptations underlying the responses. Potted plants were sprayed
with air-borne seawater at: two sprays per week (2SS), four sprays per week (4SS) or six sprays per week (6SS), which equaled on
average 4 mg, 8 mg and 12 mg NaCl dm
-2
leaf area day
-1
respectively. The control (CSS) plants were sprayed with deionized water.
Plants responded to sea spray by leaf folding and no mortality occurred. Except stem girth that increased, growth parameters
decreased with increasing seawater application level, but leaf width, root number and root length were not affected. It significantly
decreased fresh and dry mass of aerial parts, total biomass and leaf total chlorophyll. It also induced leaf and stem succulence and
decreased plant xylem water potential. It caused nutrient imbalance by accumulating Na
+
and Cl
-
ions but lowered Ca
2+,
Mg
2+
, K
+
and
Fe
2+
in the aerial parts. Na: K ratio and N were significantly higher in leaf and stem of salt-treated plants than in control. It increased
total nutrient and percentage ash, contributed mainly by Na
+
and Cl
-
ions, but decreased organic content in leaf and stem. Generally,
roots were not affected by salt spray. Air-borne salt significantly increased necrotic leaf area but did not significantly affect plant
visual ratings. The implications of the results on the growth and use of seashore paspalum for beach landscaping are discussed.
Keywords
Salt spray; Growth; Visual quality; Ecophysiology; Seashore paspalum
Introduction
Paspalum vaginatum
O. Swartz (seashore paspalum)
belongs to the family Poeceae. It grows along the
coastline as strand vegetation in many tropical and
subtropical areas of the world. It is a perennial
creeping grass that is stoloniferous and rhizomatous. It
forms a thick mat of growth and has dark- green
leaves with shinny waxy leaf coat (Zinn, 2004). It is
ecologically important in shoreline stabilization,
erosion control and serves as fodder for livestock. It is
used in numerous
golf courses greens, tees, fairways
and roughs.
It is salt-tolerant, which informs its
increasingly use in coastal sites where flooding and
salt water intrusion are prevalent. Most research
in
seashore paspalum has been limited to examinations
of tolerance to soil salinity, which has been widely
documented (Bernstein et al., 1972; Harivandi, 1984;
Dudeck and Peacock, 1985; Lee et al., 2002; Zinn,
2004; Lee et al., 2004; Lee et al., 2005). Little if any
information specific to seashore paspalum and salt
sprays related growth and quality exists in the
scientific literature. Where public information exists,
such was based on mere observations that are largely
devoid of quantitative assessment (Environmental
Turf, 2006). Unlike the salt marsh, where plant species
are exposed to tidal inundation and thus to high
salinity (Flowers & Colmer. 2008; De Vos et al., 2010),
the beach is out of reach of mean high tide and only
rarely flooded with seawater. Thus, salt exposure at
the beach is mainly composed of salt sprays (Boyce,
1954; Rozema et al., 1985; Griffiths et al., 2006;
Griffiths, 2006; De Vos et al., 2010). It is well
documented that sea spray is an important natural
selective abiotic factor on coastal plant communities
(Boyce, 1954; Barbour et al., 1985; Rozema et al.,
1985; De Vos et al., 2010) and plants are often more
sensitive to saline spray than to salt applied at the root
zone (Grattan et al., 1981; Elhaak et al., 1997).
Salt spray is formed by seawater droplets breaking in
the zone of heavy surf and the small droplets are
blown landward by wind (Boyce, 1954). The salts
may enter the aerial organs of the plants, especially
where small surface injuries are present (Boyce, 1954).
In this way, it can disrupt the water balance of plants
and cause necrosis or loss of leaves, resulting in