Germination and sustainable cultivation of succulent halophytes using resources from a degraded estuarine area through soil technologies approaches and saline irrigation water

Abstract

AbstractThe degradation of estuarine areas has been a growing concern in recent years, as these ecosystems offer several services. The Arthrocnemum and Suaeda genera produce useful compounds with various applications, which have led to their overexploitation in their native habitats. The main goal of this study is to use green technologies for sustainable cultivation of two species bioindicators of Mediterranean saltmarshes, Arthrocnemum macrostachyum and Suaeda vera, as an alternative to their overutilization. A tailored soil (TAIL) was constructed with a Saline Fluvisol (FLU), from a marginal estuarine area, and organic/inorganic residues were used as amendments, for plant cultivation. Seeds collected in natural populations were pretreated with two dormancy‐breaking treatments (H2SO4, H2O2) and germinated in FLU or TAIL. A microcosm assay using FLU or TAIL irrigated with estuarine water (VF) or three aqueous saline solutions (0, 200, or 400 mmol/L NaCl) was established. The species obtained a low percentage of seeds' germination being the highest values under substrate control (water‐soaked filter paper). The A. macrostachyum reached the highest germination percentage when seeds were pretreated with H2SO4 (20%) while the germination of S. vera was favored by the pretreatment with H2O2 (49%). Both species had the highest growth in TAIL irrigated with 0 or VF, presenting the largest stems (13–32 cm), the largest primary branches (3.5–7.2 cm), and the highest production of aerial part biomass (28–36 g). This study contributes to the sustainable cultivation of these valuable halophytes and could play an important role in the sustainable management of marginal estuarine land.