Kikuyu grass: effects of salinity and acidity on growth, biochemistry and root morphology

Soil salinity and acidity are major environmental stress limiting plant growth and crop productivity. They decrease seed germination, shoot and root length altering a wide array of metabolic processes. The responses of cultivated species to these abiotic stress in terms of growth and yield are the ultimate expression of several interacting physiological and biochemical parameters. Numerous studies were devoted to stress resistance during seedling growth of rice, wheat and forage, but data concerning abiotic stress effects on kikuyu grass are scarce. Kikuyu is a perennial grass stoloniferous and rhizomutous with a well developed root system, and high nutritive properties (high protein and low fibre content), that, because of its wide adaptability to different environmental conditions, could be used in the environment for soil stabilization and erosion control and also as un exclusive source of food for cattle, improving pasture productivity. This review summarizes the progress made in recent years in understanding the metabolic traits of kikuyu grass resistance to salt and acid stress.