Effect of chloride in solution culture on growth and chloride uptake of Sultana and Salt Creek grape vines

Abstract

Growth, and distribution of chloride between laminae, petioles, stems, roots and trunks of small cuttings, of two grape vine varieties, Sultana (Vitis vinifera) and Salt Creek (Vitis champini) after four weeks treatments with a range of chloride levels were compared in a solution culture experiment. Chloride levels in the solutions were 0, 50, 100, 150, 200 and 250 m.eq/l. Because of varietal differences in initial plant weight and in growth rate, differences in chloride susceptibility can best be assessed from survival rates or petiole chloride concentrations over a range of chloride treatment. Under the experimental conditions Sultana vines survived and grew with treatments up to 100 and Salt Creek vines with treatments up to 150 m.eq/l chloride in the nutrient. From a comparison of the present results with previously reported data from a three-year outdoor sand culture experiment and a three-year field experiment, it is concluded that short term solution culture experiments can be used to rank potential rootstocks for chloride susceptibility.