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The Potential of Algarrobo (Prosopis chilensis (Mol.) Stuntz) for Regeneration of Desertified Soils: Assessing Seed Germination Under Saline Conditions

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Abstract

Due to their multipurpose use, leguminous trees are desirable for the restoration of degraded ecosystems. Our aim was to investigate seed germination of the leguminous tree Prosopis chilensis in response to salinity, one of the major abiotic challenges of desertified soils. Germination percentages of seed from 12 wild P. chilensis populations were studied. Treatments included four aqueous NaCl concentrations (150, 300, 450, and 600 mM). In each population, the highest germination percentage was seen using distilled water (control), followed closely by 150 mM NaCl. At 300 mM NaCl or higher salt concentration, germination was progressively inhibited attaining the lowest value at 450 mM NaCl, while at 600 mM NaCl germination remained reduced but with large variation among group of samples. These results allowed us to allocate the 12 groups from where seeds were collected into three classes. First, the seeds from Huanta-Rivadavia showed the lowest percent germination for each salt condition. The second group was composed of moderately salt-tolerant seeds with 75 % germination at 300 mM NaCl, followed by 50 % germination at 450 mM NaCl and 30 % germination at 600 mM NaCl. The third group from Maitencillo and Rapel areas was the most salt tolerant with an impressive seed germination level of 97 % at 300 mM NaCl, 82 % at 450 mM NaCl, and 42 % at 600 mM NaCl. Our results demonstrate that P. chilensis seeds from these latter localities have an increased germination capability under saline stress, confirming that P. chilensis is an appropriate species to rehabilitate desertified soils.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful for the valuable comments of Dr Julio Gutiérrez and three anonymous reviewers. C. Ibáñez acknowledges Fondo Nacional de Desarrollo Científico y Tecnológico (FONDECYT) Grant No. 1110831 (CONICYT—Chile) and Ministerio de Educación (MINEDUC)—Convenio de Desempeño para la Educación Superior, Grant No. ULS-1401 for financial support. C. Westphal is supported by “Programa de Formación de Capital Humano Avanzado de CONICYT, Becas para Estudios de Doctorado Nacional 2011, Grant No. 21120460”.

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  1. Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de La Serena, La Serena, Chile

    Claus Westphal, Paloma Gachón, Carlos Salas & Cristian Ibáñez

  2. Universidad Politécnica de Pénjamo, Carretera Irapuato-La piedad Km 44, Pénjamo, Estado de Guanajuato, Mexico

    Jaime Bravo

  3. Departamento de Matemáticas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de La Serena, La Serena, Chile

    Carlos Navarrete

  4. Departamento de Bioquímica e Imunologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, UFMG, Belo Horizonte, 31270-901, Brazil

    Carlos Salas

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Westphal, C., Gachón, P., Bravo, J. et al. The Potential of Algarrobo (Prosopis chilensis (Mol.) Stuntz) for Regeneration of Desertified Soils: Assessing Seed Germination Under Saline Conditions. Environmental Management 56, 209–220 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-015-0490-4

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