Growth, Plant Water Relations, and Forage Quality in Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) de wit and Acacia saligna (Labill.) in Response to Salinity Stre

The effect of salinity on growth performance, physiological responses and chemical composition were studied on two species Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) de wit and Acacia saligna (Labill.) seedlings. Five saline concentrations mixture of sodium and calcium chloride (v/v, 1:1): control (Distilled Water), 2000, 4000, 6000, and 8000 ppm were used in watering plants for 3 months. The results showed a marked variation among species in response to salinity. L. leucocephala was able to withstand the highest level of salinity compared to A. saligna in all studied parameters except relative water content. All morphological characteristics of the two species decreased markedly under salinity, except the shoot/root ratio that showed a trend of increase. The leaf water potential was more negative with an increase in relative water content under salinity compared with the control. The crude protein and nitrogen content concentration were low at 6000 ppm and while increased at 8000 ppm in L. Leucocephala compared to A. saligna. The results showed that growing both species provide great benefits to the agricultural sector especially in the arid and semiarid areas were these species can provide forage with high quality all year around when grown under irrigation with saline or regular water. Thus, it is recommended to utilize such species to be grown for forages under saline conditions for their productivity and quality