Appendices - Soil Essentials: Managing Your Farm's Primary Asset - page 150

Appendix 6. Chloride (as % NaCl)

Chloride is a particular ion that is commonly a major constituent of the total
soluble salts (TSS) present in a soil. Where chloride is only a minor constituent of
TSS, the remainder of the TSS probably consists of salts derived from the recent
use of gypsum, fertiliser etc. and as such, is unlikely to cause salt damage in the
longer term. Descriptive terms for chloride ranges (expressed as % NaCl) are as
follows:

Sands to sandy loams Clay loams Clays

Low (normal) <0.02 <0.03 <0.05

Slightly saline: indicates
poor drainage

0.02-0.07 0.03-0.10 0.05-0.15

Moderately saline:
germination and growth may
be affected

0.08-0.20 0.11-0.30 0.16-0.40

Highly saline: difficulty in
establishment; drainage
required

>0.20 >0.30 >0.40