Impact of Salinity on the Growth and Chemical Composition of Two Underutilized Wild Edible Greens: <i>Taraxacum officinale</i> and <i>Reichardia picroides</i>

oleh: Alexios A. Alexopoulos, Anna Assimakopoulou, Panagiotis Panagopoulos, Maria Bakea, Nikolina Vidalis, Ioannis C. Karapanos, Spyridon A. Petropoulos

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2021-06-01

Deskripsi

Soil salinization is one of the major environmental factors responsible for limited crop production throughout the world. Therefore, there is urgent need to find tolerant/resistant species to exploit in commercial cultivation systems. In this context, the valorization of wild edible greens for human consumption and/or medicinal purposes is gaining more and more interest. The aim of the present work was to study the effect of salinity, e.g., electrical conductivity: 2 mS cm<sup>−1</sup> (nutrient solution EC), 6 mS cm<sup>−1</sup> and 10 mS cm<sup>−1</sup> on plant growth and chemical composition of <i>Reichardia picroides</i> and <i>Taraxacum officinale</i> plants grown in a floating hydroponic system. The results showed that <i>R. picroides</i> is a moderately salt-tolerant species, as the majority of plant growth parameters determined were not negatively affected under the treatment of 6 mS cm<sup>−1</sup>. On the other hand, the growth parameters of <i>T. officinale</i> plants were severely affected under the same conditions. Moreover, high salinity levels (EC at 10 mS cm<sup>−1</sup>) impaired the growth of both species. The content of leaves in chlorophylls (a, b and total), carotenoids+xanthophylls and total soluble solids was not significantly affected by the tested EC levels in both species, whereas the titratable acidity increased under the treatment of 10 mS cm<sup>−1</sup>. Moreover, <i>R. picroides</i> exhibited a more effective adaptation mechanism against saline conditions than <i>T. officinale</i>, as evidenced by the higher accumulation of osmolytes such as proline and the higher shoot K content, probably through a more efficient K/Na selectivity. In conclusion, both species were severely affected by high salinity; however, <i>R. picroides</i> showed promising results regarding its commercial cultivation under moderate salinity levels, especially in regions where resources of high-quality irrigation water are limited.