Biosaline Agriculture

Emerging salt marshes as a source ofTrichoderma arenariumsp. nov. and other fungalbioeffectors forbiosaline agriculture

“…Saline soils are widespread all over the world, accounting for 7-8% of the Earth's surface (Artiola et al 2019). Coastal saline soil, such as that found in salt marshes, represents a subclass of saline soils, and is recognized as an important potential land resource for agricultural development (Long et al 2016;Ayyam et al 2019). However, crop growth in such areas is usually very limited, due to the high salinity and low nutrient availability in the soil (Ayyam et al, 2019).…”

“…Moreover, the effect of the Trichoderma inoculations on SPAD reads (which measure the relative chlorophyll content in leaves) suggested that Trichoderma played a role in eliminating the chlorophyll reduction that normally caused by high salinity. As salinity has a severe negative effect on roots (Ayyam et al 2019), we also used a root scanner to evaluate root development in a detailed way. The results (Fig.…”

“…Some newly formed natural ecosystems may resemble such affected agricultural lands in that they are young and frequently offer similar adverse conditions for microbial communities and plants. Among such ecosystems, the emerging tidal salt marshes in particular may resemble the conditions of biosaline agriculture, where saline (sea) water is used for irrigation in arid or coastal areas (Masters et al 2007;Ayyam et al 2019). Native plants in these conditions may be prone to diseases because of the extremely limited vegetation diversity (equivalent to monoculture), the disturbance from seawater intrusion, and the salinization of the soil surface (Li et al 2018;Ayyam et al 2019).…”

“…Among such ecosystems, the emerging tidal salt marshes in particular may resemble the conditions of biosaline agriculture, where saline (sea) water is used for irrigation in arid or coastal areas (Masters et al 2007;Ayyam et al 2019). Native plants in these conditions may be prone to diseases because of the extremely limited vegetation diversity (equivalent to monoculture), the disturbance from seawater intrusion, and the salinization of the soil surface (Li et al 2018;Ayyam et al 2019). Interestingly, in most of such seemingly simple natural ecosystems, even single pioneer species of plants stay healthy (Li et al 2018;Ayyam et al 2019).…”

“…Native plants in these conditions may be prone to diseases because of the extremely limited vegetation diversity (equivalent to monoculture), the disturbance from seawater intrusion, and the salinization of the soil surface (Li et al 2018;Ayyam et al 2019). Interestingly, in most of such seemingly simple natural ecosystems, even single pioneer species of plants stay healthy (Li et al 2018;Ayyam et al 2019).…”