Successful Salicornia Seed Production using Saline Water

Human activities caused global warming and climate change and threaten agricultural production. The decline in water quality and quantity are the main constraints to food security, occupation, as well as the cause for social problems. Biosaline agriculture is one of the methods for agricultural production using saline soil and water. One of the chains of Biosaline agriculture is plant production with saline water. In this method of agriculture halophytes cultivation under a saline condition with optimum irrigation and soil management is considered. For the development of halophyte plants, seed production is the main input. Amongst halophyte species, Salicornia is considered for the development of the coastal area in the north and south of Iran. This is because of its extractable oil and high seed production using sea water. The objective of this paper is the orientation of experts for seed production, agronomic requirements, and the growth stages requirements of two Salicornia species. Salicornia bigelovii and S. persica produced 1.9 and 1.5 ton ha-1 of seeds, respectively in Yazd, Iran. To achieve the maximum yield, the sowing date is very important because of the photoperiod sensitivity during the flowering stage. Irrigation and fertilizer requirement supply are also important during this sensitive growing stage.