Salicornia bigelovii Torr. is a potential new crop for coastal and saline lands, because of the oil content of its seeds, its properties as fresh vegetable, forage, and other uses. As a true halophyte, it can grow with seawater irrigation. The aim of this study was to determine the phenology and water requirements of Salicornia as a new plant resource in growing areas for salt-tolerant crops in coastal and saline lands, and elucidate scenarios of sustainability about these issues. Water requirements were estimated in experimental plots on the coastal line and fulfilled with drip irrigation connected to seawater aquaculture discharge ponds, 30 m from the sea. The recorded phenological events were germination, flowering, fructification, maturation, and physiological death. Results reflect the difficulty to adopt it as a new crop because of its long-life cycle, around nine months, contrasting with the life cycle of common crops, from three to four months. Irrigation needs reached a depth of 240 cm, significantly exceeding those of conventional crops. Such limitations are highlighted, but also its potential use as a biofilter of coastal aquaculture effluents, being a productive target-biomass, feasible to be used as a dual-purpose use of water and energy required in aquaculture farms.

The objective of this study was to compare the morphology of M. spicata and R. officinalis plants, and the relative abundance quantification, colony-forming units, ribotypes, and biofilm former bacteria under an inorganic fertilizer and the use of vermicompost leachate in the rhizosphere under a closed hydroponic system. In mint (Mentha spicata) plants treated with the vermicompost leachate, growth increase was determined mainly in root length from an average of 38 cm in plants under inorganic fertilizer to 74 cm under vermicompost leachate. In rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), no changes were determined between the two treatments. There were differences in the compositions of microbial communities: For R. officinalis, eight ribotypes were identified, seven for inorganic fertilizer and four for vermicompost leachate. For M. spicata, eight ribotypes were identified, three of them exclusive to vermicompost leachate. However, no changes were observed in microbial communities between the two treatments. Otherwise, some changes were observed in the compositions of these communities over time. In both cases, the main found phylum was Firmicutes, with 60% for R. officinalis and 80% for M. spicata represented by the Bacillus genus. In conclusion, the use of vermicompost leachate under the hydroponic system is a viable alternative to achieve an increase in the production of M. spicata, and for both plants (mint and rosemary), the quality of the product and the microbial communities that inhabited them remained unaltered.

La aplicación de biofertilizantes y bioestimulantes influyen en varias respuestas fisiológicas de los cultivos, con ello se puede potencializar la calidad de las cosechas. Por lo cual la utilización de dichos productos puede minimizar la fertilización sintética, al mismo tiempo de incrementar la tolerancia al estrés biótico en el agroecosistema. Este estudio fue desarrollado con el propósito de valorar el impacto del quitosano, hongos micorrízicos y ácidos húmicos en el crecimiento de variedades de pimiento en condiciones protegidas. El método de prueba utilizado fue aleatorio en un factorial 2 × 4 con 3 réplicas, donde el primer factor fueron las variedades (Magaly y Lycal), y el segundo los bioestimulantes: ácidos húmicos (1:30v/v), quitosano (3 g L-1 de agua) y hongos micorrízicos (20 g de esporas ml-1), y un testigo (control) por cada variedad (sin aplicación de bioactivos). Los resultados demostraron que los tres bioactivos estudiados incrementaron entre 11.66 y 16.67% la germinación de las semillas, mientras que la emergencia fue potenciada por los ácidos húmicos y quitosano. Por su parte los ácidos húmicos produjeron plantas de mayor altura a los 25 y 45 días después de la siembra (ddt), y tallos de mayor diámetro. Esto a su vez incrementó la biomasa fresca y seca de las plántulas (339.38 y 106.72 g), de la misma manera influyeron en el incremento de frutos por planta (15.33 frutos), longitud, diámetro y peso (12.22 cm, 43.33 mm y 92.22 g). Se generaron valores mayores en el rendimiento de la variedad Magaly con 29.16 Mg ha-1. La variedad Magaly superó significativamente a la variedad Lycal en cuanto a germinación (96.67%), emergencia (95%), altura de plantas y diámetro del tallo (25 y 45 ddt).

Attenuators of salt-stress favor the use of effluents, being a low-cost organic product. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of vermicompost leachate (VL) added to shrimp-culture effluent on seeds and seedlings of Salicornia bigelovii (Torr.) under salt-stress, evaluating germination, water relations variables, and biomass. Seeds were irrigated with distilled water (DW) (CE: 0.0027 dS m−1), freshwater (FW) (CE: 1.36 dS m−1), seawater (SW) (CE: 55.83 dS m−1), shrimp residual water (SRW) (CE: 59.85 dS m−1), and with the same water sources but adding VL in 1:20 v/v. The means for the index of germination rate (IGR), germination energy (GE), and germination time (MGT) were higher with DW, DWVL, FW, and FWVL, decreasing with the others (p ≤ 0.05). In seedlings, the lowest water potential (Ψw) and osmotic potential (Ψs) were observed with SW, SWVL, SRW, and SRWVL (p ≤ 0.05), evidencing higher stress but the highest relative water content (RWC). The fresh and dry biomass increased and showed significant differences with SRW, and adding VL (DWVL, FWVL, SWVL, and SRWVL) acted as an effective attenuator of salt-stress. The response of water relations variables suggested an osmotic adjustment for mitigating the salt-stress in seedlings, lowering the Ψw and Ψs but increasing the RWC.

<p><strong>Background</strong>. One of the classic land degradation problems that man has had to face is controlling, preventing, or improving soils affected by salinity. <strong>Objective</strong>. The objective of this study was to evaluate the physiological and morphometric response of <em>Origanum vulgare</em> L. plants subjected to five concentrations of NaCl (0, 50, 100, 150 and 200 mM NaCl). <strong>Methodology</strong>. The experiment was established in a completely randomized design with five treatments based on different concentrations of NaCl (0, 50, 100, 150 and 200 mM) with four replications per treatment. Each repetition consisted of 14 plants. The variables evaluated were fresh and dry weight of leaves, leaf area, fresh and dry weight of stem, stem length, fresh and dry weight, and root length, chlorophyll content a and b, relative water content and water potential. <strong>Results. </strong>The results showed that the fresh and dry weight of leaves, stem and root, foliar area, as well as the length of stem and root showed significant differences between treatments, they decreased as NaCl concentrations increased in the culture medium, as did the chlorophyll content "a and b". It is concluded that oregano plants have the capacity to absorb Na from the culture medium in 50, 100 and 150 mM of NaCl. <strong>Implications.</strong> The study makes the possibility to determine the tolerance of oregano to salinity, by subjecting the plants to different concentrations of NaCl and assessing whether it has the capacity to absorb Na⁺ from the culture medium. The study shows that it is possible to grow oregano in floating root hydroponic conditions, considering the advantages that this system offers, such as saving water and nutrients, being possible to obtain adequate yield using water of moderate salinity (50 mM NaCl) that represents an electrical conductivity of 5.8 dS m^-1. <strong>Conclusions.</strong> All variables decreased as NaCl concentrations increased in the culture medium. Oregano showed the ability to absorb Na⁺ from the culture medium in 50, 100 and 150 mM NaCl.<strong></strong></p>