Investigation of salt damage in mango trees in Xiamen.
Wang LiangMu, Wang WenQing, Wang Jin, Chen GuoHua
Author Affiliation: Xiamen Greening Administration, Xiamen 361004, China.
Journal of Tropical and Subtropical Botany 8 : 333-338
Abstract : Leaf scorch in mango (Mangifera indica) trees was investigated in March, 1997 at 13 sites at 30-300 m from the seashore of Xiamen City. Symptoms of leaf scorch in shoot leaves were divided into 6 grades. Soil properties and leaf composition were assessed. The results showed that soil pH and the total N, P, K and Na contents were not related to the leaf scorch damage. The degrees of injury caused by leaf scorch were positively related to the content of Cl and K in leaves and to the Cl and salt contents in soil at 30-40 cm depth. It is concluded that the main factor resulting in leaf scorch is salt, and Cl plays an important role. Mango trees grow normally in soil under 0.489% salinity.