Effect of different cultivation methods on germination and growth of Puccinellia tenuiflora

The effects of drip irrigation and different cultivation methods on seed germination and growth of Puccinellia tenuiflora in saline-sodic soils were investigated in field experiments during 2008-2010 in the Songnen Plain, China. Drip irrigation was applied to waste saline-sodic P. tenuiflora grasslands for both flat and ridge cultivation methods. Drip irrigation affected the distributions of electrical conductivity of saturated-soil extract (ECe) and pH of the saline-sodic soil. After cropping under drip irrigation for two years, the ECe and pH had decreased greatly in the root zone on both the flat and ridge lands, and enabled P. tenuiflora seeds to germinate and grow rapidly. In addition, the plant height, number and length of spikes, coverage and aboveground biomass were all higher on the flat than on ridge land, but the differences of the two cultivation methods were not obvious. Compared to ridge planting, the flat planting method was more convenient, and flat cultivation and drip irrigation may be appropriate for restoration of saline-sodic grasslands. Keywords: Saline-sodic soils; Planting methods; Puccinellia tenuiflora; Grassland restoration.