WOS: 000375826700008Determining the mineral contents and cultivation potentials of forage species with different degrees of salt tolerance in soil having different chemical properties and salt contents can provide information about the fodder quality of forage species and the importance about animal feed. In the evaluation of saline soils, growing of salt tolerant or resistant plants is recently a widespread implementation. For this purpose, this study was planned to determine the effect of salinity stress on macro (P, K, Ca, Mg and Na) and micro (B, Mn, Cu, Fe and Zn) mineral accumulations of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), bird's foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L.) and sainfoin (Onobrychis sativa Lam.) species cultivated under non-saline soil (0.43 EC dS m(-1)) and saline soils (9.80 EC dS m(-1)) and to reveal whether or not the existing forage is adequate for mineral requirements of ruminants. Research was conducted in randomized blocks design with three replications on the Igdir Plain, located in eastern Turkey, between the years of 2011-2013. The mineral concentrations of the fodders were detected by ICP-OES. As a result of the study, significant differences were found among species in respect of the other minerals examined except for K and Na, and L.corniculatus was identified to be the richest species in terms of mineral content. Mineral compositions of the plants differed significantly among the year, and generally significant increases were recorded in mineral contents of the plants in years following the establishment year. In terms of soil types, only K, B, Mn and Cu contents were found statistically significant. The results of this study showed that soil salinity had no significant effect on especially the macro mineral contents of the plants. Besides, it was revealed that forage species cultivated in both soil types are an important mineral source (except for K) for ruminants.Scientific and Technological Research Council of TurkeyTurkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Arastirma Kurumu (TUBITAK) [110O259]; TUBITAKTurkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Arastirma Kurumu (TUBITAK)This research was supported by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey with Project No. 110O259. The authors thank TUBITAK for it's funding
