Performance of salt-tolerant forage genotypes of millet Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.] in Eastern Mediterranean conditions

Abstract

In this study the aim was to evaluate alternative crops able to tolerate thefuture rise in salinity, likely to occur in the East Mediterranean coastal areas. For this, two genotypes of pearl millet (Tall and IP13) were submitted to saline conditions (4, 8, 12 dS.m-1 and 2 dS.m-1 as control) in a field trial. Water consumption using neutron probe technique, physiological response and the production were studied. The neutron probe technique showed that 96% of consumed water originated in the upper 0.45 m. As salinity increased, water consumption became shallower, suggesting a different root distribution. Physiological aspects related to plant height, foliar potassium and uptake of nitrogen were investigated. Tallest plants were found in 4 dS.m-1 in Tall, and in 2 dS.m-1 in IP13. Foliar potassium was similar in Tall variety, while IP13 excluded the potassium, in order to reduce cellular ions. In Tall the 15N technique showed that 40-50% of plant N originated from the fertilizers, irrespective of saline conditions. Fresh weight was not different between 4 and 8 dS.m-1, in three cuts out of five in 2016 and 2017. Tall produced higher dry matter, especially under saline conditions. Best water use efficiency was in 4 dS.m-1 (10.4 kg.m-3 in Tall; 8.8 kg.m-3 in IP13). The plotting of dry matter production against salinity gave quadratic equations, with a peak at 5.6 dS.m-1 for IP13 and 7.1 dS.m-1 for Tall. Tall can be used for phytoremediation of soils in coastal areas, and as a forage crop.

Evaluation of the Biological Phenomenon of Cadmium Accumulation of Wheat Crop in Salt-Affected Soil

“…Moreover, to show the extent to which some economic crops are affected by soil affected by salts and polluted with cadmium when growing plants that are characterized as growing naturally under salt stress and that can absorb salts in large quantities, which contributes to reducing pollution with this element in the soil, which is one of the most important problems, Which many developing countries suffer from as a result of its close relationship with human life and health, as its presence in the soil causes a decrease in the rate of plant growth as well as its impact on many vital processes during the life of the plant to strongly discourage the process of photosynthesis, which in turn leads to a decrease in plant productivity. In addition, pollution at high levels may lead to an increase in the plant content of these elements and increase their risks to human health through their leakage into the body through food through electrical conductivity or their solubility in food [13][14][15][16][17][18]. It is expressed quantitatively as the total concentration of salts or the electrical conductivity (EC) of the soil solution due to the large correlation between the negative and positive ions in soil formation processes [8].…”