Biomass Yield Response of Different Medicinal Plants Under Dual Stress of Salinity and Sodicity

Abstract

S alt stress is one of the main limiting factors for plant production that limits the spread of plants in dryland regions. It is likely to cause further deterioration in crop growth and production due to uncertain precipitation patterns and a rise in temperature expected from climate change (Panta et al., 2014). According to Wang et al. (2003), salinization will affect half of the cultivatable area in the middle of the 21 st century. At the same time, to ensure food security, agriculture has expanded into marginally salt-affected areas that could support biomass production (Shabala, 2013). One of the best Abstract | One of the best strategies for the utilization of salts affected soils is the screening of available local plants which can grow or survive under salt stress and have considerable economic importance to the farming community. Therefore, a three-years pot experiment was executed to explore the salinity tolerance of medicinal plants i.e., Podeena (Mentha spicata), Hina (Lawsonia inermis), Qulfa (portulace oleracea), Methi (Trigonella foenumgraceum), Dill (Anethum graveolens) and Kalwanji (nigella sativa), under dual stress of EC e (electrical conductivity of soil extract) 0.79, 6 and 8 dS m -1 and SAR (sodium adsorption ratio) 5.99, 25 and 35. Each crop was grown for four months and biomass yield data was recorded. Results of three successive seasons suggest that all the evaluated medicinal plants can grow under the medium salinity and sodicity level of (6 dS m -1 + 25 SAR). However, biomass yield decreased linearly with increasing levels of salinity and sodicity and a maximum reduction of 63.25% for Podeena, 48.15% for Hina, 54.74% for Qulfa, 32.87% for Methi, 59.77% for Dill and 45.18% for Kalwanji was recorded at the highest level of salinity + sodicity (EC e 8 dS m -1 + SAR 35).