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Legume leads assault on salt

Story Added : 04th February 2010

Researchers have found a way to increase the productivity of salt-affected land by up to $60 a hectare.

They've found a pasture legume that handles much higher levels of salt and waterlogging than others trialed in the past.

There are predictions that over the next 40 years, salinity could grow to affect 7 million hectares of land across Australia.

Phil Nichols, from Western Australia's Department fo Agriculture, says the legume is a significant step in growing plants on land that's otherwise unproductive.

"In terms of salinity it's got tolerance at both a seedling stage, it's able to germinate in much higher levels of salinity than other legumes. It's also got tolerance as an adult plant," he says.

"It's also got very good waterlogging tolerance.

"One of the reasons is it's got pores in the stems and roots, so that oxygen can go right down into the roots."

Story Added by ABC.
Date Added : 04th February 2010

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