THE EFFECT OF AERATION ON THE GROWTH OF SPARTINA ALTERNIFLORA LOISEL.

A greenhouse experiment was designed to investigate the correlations between waterlogging and aeration, and associated changes in pH, redox potentials and sulfide concentrations, on the growth of Spartina alterniflora Loisel. Elemental concentrations of the aerial and root material were determined and used for correlations with growth response. Redox potentials adjusted to pH 7 (Eh 7) ranged from −184 mv to 5 mv and were highly correlated (r) with aerial and root dry weight biomass (.97 and .97, respectively) and plant height (1.0). The range of soil pH at the conclusion of the study was 6.07 to 6.74 and was negatively correlated with aerial and root dry weight biomass. Sulfide concentrations ranged from 10–² to 10–⁷ m and vorrelations with aerial and root dry weights and height were −.85, −.85 and −.87, respectively. High negative correlations were found between sodium and sulfur concentrations and S. alterniflora growth. Positive correlations between potassium, phosphorus, manganese, zinc, copper, iron and growth response were also observed. Correlations of elemental concentrations of the plants with redox potentials and/or pH suggest that these two physical variables may be responsible in part for the regulation of 5. alterniflora growth in nature by regulating availability of nutritional elements.