Soil Desalination to Counteract Maple Decline    (View PDF)

James M. Rubens

Abstract: Sugar maple decline can often be traced to contamination of streetside soils by winter de-icing salts (NaCl) application. The deleterious effects of sodium and chloride ions in tree rooting soils can be explained by salt ions' effect upon soil properties and tree metabolism. The symptoms of salt-induced maple decline can be enumerated but are quite similar to the symptoms of other stress-induced maple declines. Salt contamination of soils and therefore salt injury to plants can be reduced by a technique of application of Powdered gypsum to the soil surface, named soi/ desalination. Trees so treated are also fertilized. Soil desalination is a protective rather than a curative treatment and will be of little benefit to a sugar maple suffering irreversible decline.

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https://doi.org/10.48044/jauf.1978.008