Investigation of Possible Production of Oil and Biomass in Biosaline Agriculture

پژوهشهای زراعی ایران

Article 4, Volume 9, Issue 4 - Serial Number 24, January 2012, Pages 615-622   

Document Type: Research Article

DOI: 10.22067/gsc.v9i4.13240

Authors

J Nabati^* ; M Kafi; A Nezami; P Rezvani Moghaddam; A Masoumi; M Zare Mehrjerdi

Abstract

Production of halophytes using saline water and soils in biosaline agriculture is an approach to exploit of
untraditional resources in order to food security, without any negative effect on production of conventional
crops. Halophytes are capable for using as forage crop, medicinal plant and oil seed crops. Therefore, to study
the possibility of oil production by kochia under saline conditions, an experiment was carried out in Salinity
Research Station of Agricultural Collage Ferdowsi University of Mashhad. Three populations of Kochia,
including the Birjand, Borojerd and Sabzevar ecotypes, were irrigated with ground water having electrical
conductivity (EC) of 5.2, 10.5 and 23.1 dS m-1. Salinity levels imposed no significant affect on all traits except
seed yield, harvest index and weight of 1000 seeds. However, increase salinity up to 10.5 dS m-1 did not
markedly decreased seed yield. There were no significant differences between ecotypes. Kochia produced 2.15
ton seed per hectare and showed 22% harvest index. Effect of salinity levels on yield and content of oil was not
significant. Production of 10% and 213 kg.h-1 oil by Kochia at high salinity conditions that conventional crops
cannot survive, indicated the ability of Kochia for oil seed in biosaline agriculture.

Keywords

Oil content; Salinity stress; Seed yield; Weight of 1000 seeds