Feasibility of growing halophyte “agretti” (Salsola soda) as an alternative boron-tolerant food crop in unproductive boron-laden regions

Abstract

Excessive boron (B) can pose toxicity to many plant species, and consequently restricts land utilization in B-laden regions. The purpose of this study was to identify “agretti” (Salsola soda) as an alternative B-tolerant food crop. Both pot and hydroponic experiments were conducted for measuring biomass, total phenolic content and B absorption of S. soda exposed to varied B treatments. Mineral element accumulation in S. soda growing in pots was also determined. No typical B toxicity symptoms were observed in pot experiment, and only slight B toxicity symptoms were observed in hydroponically-grown plants at 50, 100 and 200 mg B L−1 treatments. Biomass production was not affected in either experiment. The response of total phenolic content to B exposure varied with growing medium, parts of tissues, B treatments, and exposure times. Boron predominantly accumulated in leaves and increased with increasing B treatments in both experiments. Increased exposure time increased the transport of B from root to shoot. Increasing B treatment generally reduced the accumulation of phosphorus, manganese, selenium and arsenic, but increased the accumulation of B, molybdenum and cadmium in S. soda under specific B treatments, even the accumulation of such elements was still safe for human consumption. S. soda appears to be a promising alternative crop to grow in B-laden regions such as the western SJV of Central California.