Contents of volume 137 1991

The halophyte, Suaeda salsa, was grown in saline soil in pots and watered with a NaCl solution containing 0.2 g L^-1 Na-ions. S. salsa accumulated Na during a 120-day growing period and caused a net reduction in the Na content of the soil. S. salsa also decreased the Na content of saline soil in a field experiment. The Na content of the soil at depth 20–30 cm was reduced by 4.5% with S. salsa at a density of 15 plants m^-2 and by 6.7% with a density of 30 plants m^-2. In contrast, the Na content was decreased by only 1% with Medicago sativa at 15 plant m^-2 and increased by 3.8% with bare soil. The results confirm that S. salsa is an effective salt absorber in saline soils.