© 1993 Heron Publishing—Victoria, Canada
Salinity and citriculture
E. V. Maas
U. S. Salinity Laboratory, USDA-ARS, 4500 Glenwood Drive, Riverside, CA 92501, USA / Received September 21, 1992
Summary
Soil salinity significantly limits citrus production in many areas worldwide. Although data on fruit yields in response to
salinity are limited, they indicate that grapefruit, lemons, and oranges are among the most sensitive of all agricultural
crops. Fruit yields decrease about 13% for each 1.0 dS m–1 increase in electrical conductivity of the saturated-soil extract (ECe) once soil salinity exceeds a threshold ECe of 1.4 dS m–1. Accumulation of excess Cl– and Na+ can cause specific ion toxicities, but this problem can be minimized by selecting rootstocks that restrict the uptake of
these ions. During the past two decades, numerous papers describing the agronomic and physiological responses of citrus to
salinity have been published. This paper reviews these research reports and discusses differences in the response of citrus
species to salt stress, the role of different rootstocks, the causes of salt injury, and the interactions of other environmental
conditions or stresses with salinity.
Keywords:
chloride transport, citrus production, fruit yield, ion toxicity, leaf injury, salt stress, sodium transport.
