Study of seed germination and seedling growth of Salicornia species in different concentrations of sodium chloride

Salinity is one of the most important factors limiting the growth of plants in many parts of the world. A suitable mechanism in this field is the use of species that can have a favorable production in such environmental conditions. Salicornia is a plant of the Chenopodiaceae family that has many industrial and food benefits and is also used as an oily plant. In order to investigate the seed germination and seedling growth of Salicornia species in different concentrations of sodium chloride, a factorial experiment was done in a completely randomized design with three replications in the environmental stress laboratory of Sari University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Iran. Experimental treatments included eight salinity levels (0, 50, 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, and 700 mM NaCl) and two species of Salicornia (Salicornia persica and Salicornia perspolitana). The results showed that with increasing salinity concentration, shoot length had a decreasing trend, while root length initially increased to the salinity of 285.2 mM and decreased with further increase. Shoots and root length in Persica species were significantly longer than Persepolitana species. However, in Persepolitana, the dry weight of roots and seedlings showed a better trend than Persica. In general, considering that the increase in root length indicates that the plant is more tolerant to salinity stress, it is recommended that in saline areas, Persica species be given priority for cultivation. However, in order to better understand the mechanisms involved in the growth of these two species in saline conditions, additional experiments are needed.