Levy, Y., Agricultural Research Organization, Volcani Center, Div. of Horticulture, Mobile Post, 85280 Negev, Israel
Lifshitz, J., Agricultural Research Organization, Volcani Center, Div. of Horticulture, Mobile Post, 85280 Negev, Israel

Citrus germplasm sources utilized as rootstocks differ substantially in their susceptibility to salinity. The main difference seems to be in the ability to absorb chloride and sodium from the soil and/or the ability to translocate the harmful ions to the scion. Grafted, field grown trees may behave differently from potted trees. However, constructing a traditional field experiment involves the use of many border trees, rendering such experiments expensive and thus rare. A field experiment was constructed using trickle linear-gradient salinity (TLG). 'Marsh' Grapefruit (Citrus paradisi) were grafted on 10 different citrus rootstocks, planted in the Northern Negev, Israel. The experimental orchard was drip irrigated with reclaimed water and subjected to an additional linear salinity gradient (TLG) along the rows. The TLG setup enabled us to construct a major factorial field experiment without border trees, and differences between the rootstocks were significant within one summer.