Effect of soil salinity on growth of irrigated plantation Eucalyptus in south-eastern Australia

Management of salinity may include establishing trees in saline areas to enhance discharge and may enable productive use of saline land. Field studies of the performance of trees in saline conditions are generally confined to the initial years after planting, and little quantitative data are available on the relationship between the growth rates of eucalypt species to soil salinity in field conditions at later ages (e.g. 10 years). In this study, the growth of irrigated Eucalyptus globulus, E. grandis and E. camaldulensis is examined in relation to soil salinity measured using an electromagnetic induction device (EM38).