Bromide Tolerance in Salicornia brachiata Roxb, an Obligate Halophyte

Abstract

In coastal marshy lands, halogen bromide concentration is reported to be generally higher than in the inland soils where, annual halophytic species naturally grow. The effect of bromide on plant responses is relatively less known. The objectives of this study were to assess the effect of sodium bromide (NaBr) on growth, photosynthetic pigments, tissue ions content and changes in enzymes activity in Salicornia brachiata, a salt marsh halophyte. Presence of NaBr in the root medium induced 200 percent increase in fresh mass and 30% increase in dry mass, compared to untreated control. Relative water content also increased significantly with NaBr treatment. Increase in fresh and dry mass was not associated with high photosynthetic efficiency as evidenced by decrease in photosynthetic pigments accumulation. However, inorganic ion analysis revealed that S. brachiata accumulated Na + as a primary osmotica. The concentration of Na + in NaBr treated plants was ∼4 fold higher than that measured in untreated controls and this was associated with significant reduction in K + , Ca 2+ , Mg 2+ contents. Bromide content also increased significantly and accounted for 20 to 50 percent of dry weight. In addition, significant differences in the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POX), catalase (CAT) and ATPase were observed in bromide treated plants. For the first time bromide tolerance in coastal halophyte was reported and the results suggest that bromide was not toxic to S. brachiata for growth and metabolism even at 600 mM. concentration and suggest that the species can be used in phytoremediation of bromide contaminated soils.

Effect of MgCl2 and double concentration of Murashige and Skoog medium on in vitro plantlet and root cultures generation in halophytic grasswort Salicornia brachiata

“…In addition to commercial value of the shoots, its cultivation can also improve the soil condition as its roots promote the growth of rhizobacteria for fixing N 2 in soils with high salt (Mayak et al 2004;Jha et al 2012a, b). As the plant moderately tolerant to bromide, it can be cultivated for phytoremediation of bromide contaminated salty and marshy lands (Reddy 2009). Salicornia is a multipurpose plant with great potential for agricultural production in saline coastal areas, providing food, fodder and oil.…”

Glassworts: From Wild Salt Marsh Species to Sustainable Edible Crops

“…Bashan et al [49], found that S. bigelovii increase production (height and weight) when inoculated with some PGPB, i.e., Azospirillum halopraefrens; A. brasilense (two different strains); Vibrio aestuarianus + V. proteolyticus; Bacillus licheniformis + Phyllobacterium spp. It is worth underlining that the cultivation of Salicornia could be beneficial in order to increase soil fertility, due to the presence of rhizobacteria in its roots [50].…”

Successful Cultivation of Salicornia brachiata – A Sea Asparagus Utilizing RO Reject Water: A Sustainable Solution

“…have been grown in aquaculture systems and can be used for edible purpose [16]. Due to the presence of rhizobacteria in its roots, its cultivation is may be beneficial for increasing soil fertility and phyto-remediation of bromide [17]. Salicornia accumulates good amount of salt in its tissues, hence, it has been used to prepare vegetable salt ''Saloni'' by Council of Industrial Research-Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute (CSIR-CSMCRI), Bhavnagar, Gujarat, and recommended for high blood pressure patients due to low sodium content [18,19].…”