A Comparative Study of De-Icing Salts (Sodium Chloride and Calcium Magnesium Acetate) on the Growth of Some Roadside Plants of England

摘要

A greenhouse study was conducted on four roadside plants ( Festuca rubra , Lolium perenne , Plantago lanceolata and Trifolium repens ) to determine the effect of two de-icing salts {Sodium Chloride (NaCl) and calcium magnesium acetate, (CMA)} on their growth. Plants were grown in pots and supplied with solution of different concentrations of both the de-icing salts. Dry weight of shoot was determined by harvesting the plants after 45 days. Visual ranking of the plants showed that CMA is less harmful to plants than NaCl. At lower concentrations, CMA had no effect or even had favourable effect on the growth of plants. At higher concentrations, CMA decreased shoot biomass less than that caused by NaCl. Shoot weight of L. perenne, F. rubra and P. lanceolata watered by CMA was significantly (P