Unravelling the Combined Use of Soil and Microbial Technologies to Optimize Cultivation of Halophyte <i>Limonium algarvense</i> (Plumbaginaceae) Using Saline Soils and Water

Salt-affected soils have detrimental effects on agriculture and ecosystems. However, these soils can still be used for halophyte (salt-tolerant plants) cultivation using brackish and/or saline water. In this study, we employed soil technologies and mutualistic microorganisms as a sustainable strateg...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Amaia Nogales, Salvadora Navarro-Torre, Maria Manuela Abreu, Erika S. Santos, Ana Cortinhas, Rosalba Fors, Marion Bailly, Ana Sofia Róis, Ana Delaunay Caperta
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2023-08-01
Series:Soil Systems
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2571-8789/7/3/74
Description
Summary:Salt-affected soils have detrimental effects on agriculture and ecosystems. However, these soils can still be used for halophyte (salt-tolerant plants) cultivation using brackish and/or saline water. In this study, we employed soil technologies and mutualistic microorganisms as a sustainable strategy to improve the growth and reproduction of the halophyte <i>Limonium algarvense</i> Erben’s growth and reproduction under saline conditions. A microcosm assay was conducted under controlled greenhouse conditions to cultivate <i>L. algarvense</i> using a saline Fluvisol (FLU) amended—or not—with a Technosol (TEC). Plants were inoculated with the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AMF) <i>Rhizoglomus irregulare</i> and/or a consortium of plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB), and they were irrigated with estuarine water. Soil enzyme analysis and physicochemical characterisation of the soils, collected at the beginning and at the end of the assay, were carried out. The physiological status of non-inoculated and inoculated plants was monitored during the assay for 4 months, and AMF root colonisation was evaluated. In FLU, only plants inoculated with the AMF survived. These plants had lower number of leaves, and shoot and root dry biomass than the ones grown in the TEC by the end of the assay. In the TEC, PGPB inoculation led to higher NDVI and PRI values, and AMF inoculation promoted higher reproductive development but not pollen fertility. The findings show that the combined use of soil and microbial technologies can be successfully applied to cultivate <i>L. algarvense</i>, suggesting their generalized use for other <i>Limonium</i> species with economic interest, while contributing to the sustainable use of marginal lands.
ISSN:2571-8789