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Effects of Saline Irrigation on Growth, Physiology and Quality of Mesembryanthemum Crystallinum L., a Rare Vegetable Crop

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Effects of Saline Irrigation on Growth, Physiology and Quality of Mesembryanthemum Crystallinum L., a Rare Vegetable Crop Journal of Applied Botany and Food Quality 82, 47 - 54 (2008) 1Leibniz-Institute for Agricultural Engineering Potsdam-Bornim, Dept. Horticultural Engineering 2Humboldt University Berlin, Section Quality Dynamics / Postharvest Physiology 3Institute of Vegetable and Ornamental Crops Großbeeren / Erfurt, Dept. Quality Effects of saline irrigation on growth, physiology and quality of Mesembryanthemum crystallinum L., a rare vegetable crop. W.B. Herppich1, S. Huyskens-Keil2, M. Schreiner3 (Received December 11, 2007) Summary cultivation of halotolerant crop species. In this context, commercial World wide increased desertification due to recent global changes use of halophytes as fresh food is nowadays very limited. Few ex- enhances the need of irrigation, which, in turn, provokes the risk of ceptions are e. g. Aster tripolium, Batis maritime, Crambe maritime, soil salinization. Furthermore, limited fresh water resources may Portulaca oleraceae, or Salicornia bigelovvii (NATIONAL RESEARCH increasingly constrain the use of low quality irrigation water. Hence, COUNCIL, 1990; SHANNON and GRIEVE, 1999; EL-HADDAD and intensified use of halotolerant crop plants will be necessary, even in NOAMAN, 2001). Europe. Several facultative halophytic members of Aizoaceae are nowadays Commercial use of halophytes as fresh food is limited. Several used as special crop plants since many years. Since approximately facultative halophytic members of Aizoaceae are nowadays used as two hundred years Tetragonia tetragonioides (Pall.) O. Kunze has special crop plants. A rare leafy vegetable species is the common been grown as a spinach-like vegetable in New Zealand, Australia, ice plant Mesembryanthemum crystallinum, a Crassulacean acid Japan, India, California and Europe (VOGEL, 1996). Young leaves metabolism (CAM) species, which is mostly cultivated in India, and tender shoots of this species can also be eaten as a fresh and California, Australia, and New Zealand. It is also known in Europe tasty salad. However, in Europe New Zealand Spinach lost most of as a quickly cooked tender vegetable. With their succulent, mellow, its economic relevance to spinach during the last decades. As a slightly salty tasting leaves and young shoots, M. crystallinum is convenience product deep frozen spinach (Spinaca oleracea) is much getting interesting as delicious cool flavored salad greens during easier to handle than New Zealand spinach. Although it contains recent years. However, it is a perishable product and thus, shelf live some oxalate (AHMED and JOHNSON, 2000) Tetragonia has a low is short. On the other hand, CAM capacity of M. crystallinum can be nitrate and a high vitamin C content. In contrast to New Zealand largely enhanced by saline irrigation. Increased CAM potentially Spinach, Aptenia cordifolia (L.f.) N.E.Br., commonly called Baby reduces water and carbon losses. Sun Rose, is getting increasingly interesting as a delicious salad In this project we studied whether moderate salt treatment affects during recent years, even in Germany (HERPPICH et al., 2004). physiology, growth and yield of this rare crop plant. Furthermore, Leaves of A. cordifolia contain small amounts of some soothing and we investigated whether such treatment that enhances the irreversible bloodstream stimulating alkaloids such as mesembrin, mesembrinin und tortuosamin (SMITH et al., 1996). C3 to CAM shift in young leaves of this CAM species, potentially prolongs shelf live. Results showed that moderate salt treatment did An old, but nowadays rare salad green is the common ice plant not negatively influence growth, yield and sensory quality. When in Mesembryanthemum crystallinum (VOGEL, 1996). This species is an CAM, leaves showed reduced transpiration water losses and CAM ephemeral or pseudo-biennial prostrate white flowering herbaceous also reduced carbon losses during storage. weedy plant with simple, ovate, succulent leaves and stems which are densely covered with bladder cells. These cells give the plant a glistening appearance, and hence the species name „ice-plant“ (ADAMS et al., 1998). It has been shown that plants of this species Introduction grew best under moderately saline conditions (WINTER, 1973). Recent models of global changes prognosticate a world wide dra- According to VOGEL (1996), M. crystallinum is mostly cultivated in matically increase in desertification (SCHNEIDER et al., 2007). This India, California, Australia, and New Zealand. With their succulent, is not only true for the arid and semi arid regions of the world. mellow, slightly salty tasting leaves and young shoots, this species is Desertification may also spread throughout low land regions of a delicious cool flavored salad green. In Europe it is also known as a Europe that are now still well supplied with precipitation. Even if quickly cooked tender vegetable. Sold in the delicatessen shops M. the velocity of changes might by lower than predicted an enhanced crystallinum can reach reasonable price in Germany (e.g. 25 € per need of irrigation seems to be unavoidable in many cases. This may kg in a well-known Berlin department store). However, this product further limit fresh water resources and increasingly constrains the is highly perishable and should be stored in a cool and humid use of low quality irrigation water (KUNDZEWICZ et al., 2007). Com- atmosphere or sold packed in plastic bags. Nevertheless, their shelf bined with a higher evaporation demand this, in turn, may largely live is very short and may not extend 2 to 3 days (VOGEL, 1996). provoke the risk of soil salinization. Hence, intensified use of halo- M. crystallinum is a CAM plant (WINTER and VON WILLERT, 1972), tolerant crop plants will be necessary, even in Europe. i.e. it possesses the ability to fix internal or external CO2 at night However, many important food crop species are more or less sensitive into organic acids, which are stored in the vacuoles. During the to salinity stress (SHANNON and GRIEVE, 1999). Hence, there will be daytime organic acids are set free into the cytoplasm and de- an increased demand for new crop species or improved varieties. carboxylated to give free CO2 which is than finally fixed in the normal Conventional but also modern molecular based (e.g. marker assisted C3 photosynthesis. This resulted in the well known diurnal pattern selection) plant breeding programs are normally slow and it is not of CO2 uptake which is mostly governed by the related changes in clear whether the can reach the goals at all. The same applies to internal CO2 concentration (Ci). Ci also controls stomatal opening. genetic engineering approaches because of the very complex nature As a consequence, stomata are at least partially closed during day- of halotolerance (YAMAGUCHI and BLUMWALD, 2005). One relative time, largely reducing transpiration and, hence, water losses in CAM rapid approach might be the development of naturally halotolerant plants. It has been shown that even mild salt treatment largely plants into valuable crop species (GLENN et al., 1999) or the increased enhances the CAM capacity of the ice plant (WINTER, 1973; HERPPICH 48 W.B. Herppich, S. Huyskens-Keil, M. Schreiner et al., 1992; 1995; 1996; 1997). at 500°C in a muffle kiln for 4 h. Afterwards, the ash was dissolved From the above it may be concluded that irrigation of M. crystallinum in 5 ml water, mixed with 5 ml 6 mol l-1 HCl-solution and stirred for plants with saline water may stimulate growth and enhance CAM 30 min. The solution was brought to 100 ml with distilled water and capacity, and may, thus, increase the keeping quality of the harvested filtered. The sodium concentration of the solution was determined product. Hence, in the presented project we studied whether moderate with an atomic absorption spectrometer (Vario 6, Analytik Jena, Jena, salt treatment affects physiology, growth and yield. Furthermore, we Germany). investigated whether such treatment that enhances the irreversible C3 to CAM shift in young leaves of this CAM species (CUSHMAN et al., 1990; HERPPICH et al., 1992), potentially prolongs shelf live. Transpiration measurements Approximately 100 g leaves and shoot tips per plant and treatment were harvested in the morning (7 am), weighed, and placed loosely Materials and methods into pre-weighed open containers. These containers were stored at Plant material 8°C and 70% relative air humidity (corresponding to a water vapour pressure deficit, ∆w, of 0.32 kPa MPa-1) in a climate chamber (Type Plants of Mesembryanthemum crystallinum were grown from seeds VB1014, Vötsch Industrietechnik GmbH, Balingen-Frommern, Ger- on soil (Fruhstorfer Erde Typ-P, Industrie-Erdenwerk-Archut GmbH many) for 3 days. Co. KG, Lauterbach, Germany) in a glasshouse under semi-controlled Every day, the containers with leaves were weighed at 08:45. From conditions (T = 18/14°C; rF = 40/55%) and natural light (mean D/N D/N the mass losses over time and the respective initial fresh mass mean photosynthetic photon fluence rate (PFR) approximately 400 µmol transpiration rates (J ) were calculated as mmol h-1 g -1. Average m-2 s-1; max PFR < 1300 µmol m-2 s-1). Nine days after germination H2O FM leaf conductance (g ; mmol h-1 g -1) for water vapour was cal- seedlings were pricked out into plastic pots (Ø 9 cm). At day 24 after H2O FM culated as the ratio of J and ∆w (VON WILLERT et al., 1995). germination plants were finally transplanted in large plastic pots („BC H2O 29“; Ø 28 cm, V = 10 l). Plants were watered daily with tap water and regularly fertilized by top dressing (0.88 g Ca(NO3)2 and 0.25 g CO2 and O2 gas exchange MgSO4 per plant). Ninety days after germination each plant was approximately 69 cm wide and 16 cm high. It developed 12 shoots For the determination of leaf gas exchange approx. 40 g of freshly with approximately 50 shoot tips. harvested pre-weighed plant material per plant and treatment was sealed in an air-tight plastic container (18.5 cm X 15.5 cm X 9 cm).
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