Abstract
ABSTRACT In the Cienega de Chapala region of the state of Michoacan, Mexico, forage crops form a major pillar for traditional livestock systems. In this region, high soil salinity due to poor groundwater quality is a common problem. Thus, the objective of this research was to evaluate the potential of the forage species Vicia sativa L. for improved saline soil in a greenhouse and non-leaching conditions over the course of 90 days. In this experiment, three levels of NaCl salinity were tested: 5.3, 7.12 and 10.8 dS∙m–1. Samples of soil were analyzed for electrical conductivity of the saturation paste extract (ECe), soluble and interchangeable cations (Na+, K+, Ca2+ and Mg2+) content. Then, the forage species Vicia sativa L were divided into three categories (leaf, stem, and root) and their shoot biomass production and Na+, K+, Ca2+ and Mg2+ content was determined. Analysis of variance was performed to examine the effects of salinity on each of the evaluated variables; Tukey’s test was used to detect differences between the mean values of the variables per treatment. In a greenhouse experiment, the species V. sativa is confirmed to be tolerant to a moderately saline level. The high concentrations of Na+ found in both the stems and leaves of this plant confirm that it may be used for the improvement of moderately saline soils. The decrease in pH, ECe, SAR and ESP in the pots via non-leaching conditions confirmed their role in the improvement of the chemical characteristics of the soil.
Highlights
In the Cienega de Chapala region of the state of Michoacán, Mexico, a semiarid region, forage crops represent a major pillar of traditional livestock systems
The Na+ content in root tissues increased from the control value by 29.78 and 35.05% for saline treatments at 5.30 and 7.12 dS·m–1, respectively; for the 10.8 dS·m–1 treatment, an even higher increase of 38% was observed
The species V. sativa is confirmed to be tolerant to a salinity level corresponding to an ECe value of 10.8 dS·m-1, as plants did not exhibit reductions in water adsorption in the shoots when exposed to this level of salinity
Summary
In the Cienega de Chapala region of the state of Michoacán, Mexico, a semiarid region, forage crops represent a major pillar of traditional livestock systems. A diverse set of problems has arisen due to water scarcity and increasing levels of salts and sodium in the soil, as a result of recurrent use of poor-quality groundwater (Silva-García et al 2006). These environmental factors affect the establishment and development of agricultural crops and negatively impact the profitability of producers. A combination of different morphological, physiological and biochemical effects may occur (Munns and Tester 2008), negatively affecting nutrient acquisition, transpiration and the photosynthetic function of plants and resulting in stunted growth or potential plant loss Such effects are reflected as economic losses for producers
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