Organization
Resource Type
The objective of Stage 2 of the project was to investigate how adverse effects on the growth of alfalfa
might be affected by the depth of a contaminant (sodium chloride) in the soil profile.
Stage 2 was a greenhouse study involving the growth of alfalfa in PVC columns. The top part of each
column was filled with uncontaminated soil, while the soil below a certain depth was spiked with salt
at a level expected to reduce alfalfa yield by approximately 90%. The primary variable in the
experimental design was the depth below which the salt-spiked soil was placed