Salt tolerance of corn in the Delta

Abstract

The salt tolerance of corn has not been well established, and published studies, none of which were done on organic soils, were thought to be site-specific. Published information indicates that corn production is not reduced until soil salinity, expressed as the average electrical conductivity of the soil water in the root zone, exceeds 3.4 dS/m (about 2,200 ppm salt). For each dS/m increase in salinity above this threshold, production decreases at a rate of 6 percent. Because corn is more sensitive to salinity than are other crops, such as wheat, barley, and asparagus, water quality standards and water management techniques acceptable for corn grown on organic soils should be suitable for more tolerant crops.