Response of Lawn Grasses to Salinity Stress and Protective Potassium Effect

The salinity effects on lawn grasses caused by mine salts (halite and carnallitite) due to road de-icing processes was the aim of this study. Biometric and physiological parameters were evaluated after salt dosage of 50 and 100 g m−2 applied to a lawn surface twice and four times, in weekly intervals. The alleviating effect to the salinity on the grasses from potassium enriched soil was also evaluated. Protective effect of potassium included mostly plasma membrane integrity and an increase in the level of photosynthetic pigments. This probably resulted in more efficient photosynthesis and thus increased lawn growth. Simultaneously, only a slight reduction in relative water content (RWC) was noted, so the recorded increase in proline level may indicate its participation in osmotic adjustment. Our results confirm the importance of proper, and even over-optimal, potassium fertilization of lawn grasses exposed to salinity. Moreover, it is advisable to use other fossil salts instead of halite for the de-icing of near-green areas. The mined salt carnallitite which, besides NaCl, contains about 30% of carnalite (KCl·MgCl2·6H2O) could be such a substance.