A research team is using native plants that can survive in extremely salty conditions to create alternative crops.
According to Phys.org, 30% of the arable land available to farmers worldwide is affected by salt, leading to a salinization crisis. Salt threatens crops and represents a huge cost burden.
A research team led by Dr. Vanessa Melino is studying salt-resistant plants such as Samphire species and its cousin, samphire. Both are comparable to asparagus and are called sea asparagus.
The Samphire Species occur in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, North Africa and America, while glasswort grows in Australia.
Dr. Melino began studying Samphire Facilities at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia.
The team researched how salt-tolerant plants cope with extreme conditions. Dr Melino said they are using the data they collected to breed plants that can survive in saline groundwater or seawater.
Dr. Melino said: “Samphire can accumulate high concentrations of sodium in photosynthetically active succulent shoots without causing ion toxicity.”
“No other crop can grow under these extreme conditions,” she added.
The research results collected can help seawater-based agriculture in the future by developing salt-tolerant crops.
According to Dr. Melino, Samphire has the potential to grow a protein-rich crop and produce vegetable oil that can be used as an alternative biofuel.
Dr Melino, now at Newcastle University, is researching samphire. Evidence shows that the Aboriginal people of Western Australia used the plant as a food. She wants to contact the elders to learn more about their use of samphire.
There is still a long way to go before these salt-tolerant plants produce rich yields.
Dr Melino said domesticating a wild plant is laborious, slow and costly. Her team is using modern breeding methods to speed up the process.
Scientists are also using seawater in other ways to improve agriculture. Nemo’s Garden has been growing fresh food in underwater biospheres on the coast of Noli in Italy since 2012. The seawater regulates the temperature of the biospheres.
The garden has produced beans, tomatoes, basil, green peas, herbs, okra and flowers.
You can also use native plants in your garden by finding out what plants are native to your area. These plants will thrive in whatever environment you live in because they have adapted to it. You’ll save money because you won’t need as much water or chemicals, and you’ll attract pollinators, which are essential to our crops.
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