Date of Award

5-2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

College/School

College of Science and Mathematics

Department/Program

Biology

Thesis Sponsor/Dissertation Chair/Project Chair

Matthew Schuler

Committee Member

Dirk Vanderklein

Committee Member

Jennifer Krumins

Abstract

Salt pollution and soil salinization via secondary pathways is a global problem. One practice which contributes to increased salinity in soils and other natural systems is the application of road deicers in colder regions. Increased salinity in soils negatively affects plant growth and microbial activity. In an effort to decrease the amount of salt applied to roads, salts are applied as brine. Liquid organic additives are incorporated into these brines to foster better adherence of the salt to impermeable surfaces. One common additive is beet juice, a byproduct of sugar extraction. Beet juice contains high levels of phosphorus and organic sugars, and thus might have beneficial effects on soil microbial activity and plant growth, mitigating some negative effects of salt. To investigate the combined effects of NaCl and beet juice on germination and early growth of plants a series of treatments comprising combinations of no, ‘low’(2g), or ‘high’ (7g) NaCl and no, ‘low’(5mL), or ‘high’ (20mL) beet juice were administered. To investigate treatment effects on microbial activity, the same treatments were applied to equivalent non-plant treatments. High salt additions reduced seed germination success, delayed day of germination, decreased leaf count, and decreased final height among R. sativus. Additions of beet juice had no observable positive effect on plant growth, and might have exacerbated negative effects of salt stress. High and low beet juice additions increase soil respiration, indicating that the microbial community responded to beet juice additions, but without improving seed germination success or growth. The results from this study highlight the importance of studying co-contaminants that affect ecological communities.

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