Production of sage (Salvia officinalis L.) in a hydroponics system using brackish water at low cost*

Abstract

AbstractReuse of brackish water from desalination units in agriculture will reduce the environmental impacts resulting from disposal in the soil and groundwater, thus reflecting positively in reducing costs. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of reusing brackish water from a small water desalination unit as amended to morphology and productivity of salvia plants during the three growing seasons of 2014–2016. Brackish water from desalination treatment plants was used in hydroponic systems with three concentrations (10, 25 and 50 mM). Growth parameters (number of branches per plant, plant height (cm) and herbage yield weights (g m‾2)) and ion concentration percentage in the herbage of sage (Salvia officinalis L.) during three growing seasons 2014–2016 were measured. Results revealed that lateral branches per plant, plant height and dry weight of herbage were negatively affected by brackish water and decreased by 6, 8 and 10%, respectively, compared to control. In addition, the concentration of ions in herbage decreased by 35 and 20% for nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, respectively. We conclude from this study that irrigating sage plants using rejected water from desalination plant units leads to a decrease in morphological characteristics compared to non‐saline water, but as an economic option this type of water can be used in agriculture to reduce the environmental impacts of disposal of this water.