An Extensive Analysis of Salinity Tolerance of Portulaca oleracea L. for Sustainable Agriculture

Nowadays, crop insufficiency and decrease in productivity resulting from soil salinization is threatening the world. Thus, it is extremely important to improve crop yield and prevent land degradation process. This study investigated the response of a halophyte, Dandur (Portulaca oleracea L.) genotype, to salt stress in different soil mediums. P. oleracea plants were grown in the salinized soil of two different texture (clay and clay loam) under different salinity levels: non-saline, slightly saline, moderately saline, highly saline and extremely saline, where salinity is calculated, as the electrical conductivity of a saturated soil paste extract (ECe, dS m-1). Physiological, morphological and biochemical analyses collectively affirm the plant's capacity to withstand salinity stress. Various parameters, including stem diameter, shoot length, fresh (FW) and dry weight (DW), chlorophyll content index (CCI), transpiration rate (E), photosynthetic rate (Pn), water usage efficiency (WUE), uptake nutrient content, K+/Na+ ratio, and TDS exhibited varying responses to increased salinity in clay and clay loam soils. According to the obtained result plants growing in clay soils demonstrated greater tolerance as compared to plants growing in clay loam soils.