Unravelling the Combined Use of Soil and Microbial Technologies to Optimize Cultivation of Halophyte Limonium algarvense (Plumbaginaceae) Using Saline Soils and Water
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Author
Navarro-Torre, Salvadora
Abreu, Maria Manuela
Santos, Erika S.
Cortinhas, Ana
Fors, Rosalba
Bailly, Marion
Róis, Ana Sofia
Delaunay Caperta, Ana
Publication date
2023-08-17ISSN
2571-8789
Abstract
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 Limonium algarvense Erben’s growth and reproduction under saline conditions. A microcosm assay was conducted under controlled greenhouse conditions to cultivate L. algarvense using a saline Fluvisol (FLU) amended—or not—with a Technosol (TEC). Plants were inoculated with the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AMF) Rhizoglomus irregulare 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 L. algarvense, suggesting their generalized use for other Limonium species with economic interest, while contributing to the sustainable use of marginal lands.
Document Type
Article
Document version
Published version
Language
English
Subject (CDU)
631 - Agriculture in general
Pages
20
Publisher
MDPI
Is part of
Soil Systems
Citation
Nogales, Amaia, Salvadora Navarro-Torre, Maria Manuela Abreu, Erika S. Santos, Ana Cortinhas, Rosalba Fors, Marion Bailly, Ana Sofia Róis, and Ana Delaunay Caperta. 2023. “Unravelling the Combined Use of Soil and Microbial Technologies to Optimize Cultivation of Halophyte Limonium Algarvense (Plumbaginaceae) Using Saline Soils and Water.” MDPI. Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute. August 17. https://www.mdpi.com/2571-8789/7/3/74
Program
Protecció Vegetal Sostenible
This item appears in the following Collection(s)
- ARTICLES CIENTÍFICS [2803]
Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/