Association cultivation of Ceratonia siliqua L. and Spergularia salina J.Presl: A sustainable strategy for mitigating salt stress in agriculture

Soil salinization represents a major challenge for agriculture, severely limiting plant growth. At present, over 1,000 million hectares are threatened by this phenomenon, aggravated by climate change and human practices such as excessive irrigation. This problem leads to a drop in agricultural yields and threatens food security. It is crucial to develop sustainable agricultural strategies, including adapted management practices and innovative solutions to mitigate the effects of salinization. This study explores the potential of combined cultivation of Ceratonia siliqua L. (carob) and Spergularia salina J.Presl as a strategy for enhancing growth in a saline environment. Four levels of NaCl concentration were applied, ranging from 0 mM/L to 257 mM/L. Key parameters assessed included soil electrical conductivity, morphological parameters, as well as various physiological and biochemical indicators of stress. The results show that the combination of Ceratonia siliqua and Spergularia salina significantly improves the salt tolerance of carob plants compared with monoculture, as evidenced by the marked difference in the parameters measured. The findings of the study suggest that the associated cultivation of Ceratonia siliqua and Spergularia salina could represent a sustainable solution for maintaining agricultural productivity in saline environments. Indeed, this method not only proves to be effective in improving crop resilience to salt stress, but also offers significant benefits for sustainable soil management.