Plant growth, salt removal capacity, and forage nutritive value of the annual euhalophyte irrigated with saline water.

Sustainable agricultural development in semiarid and arid regions is severely restricted by soil and water salinization. Cultivation of the representative halophyte , which can be irrigated with saline water and cultivated on saline soils, is considered to be a potential solution to the issues of freshwater scarcity, soil salinization, and fodder shortage. However, the salt removal capacity and differences in the forage nutritive value of under different saline water treatments remain unknown. Using the methods of field trials and randomized blocks design, we quantified salt accumulation in the aboveground biomass, and the biochemical and nutritive value of field-cultivated in arid northwestern China under irrigation with water of different salinities [i.e., freshwater or water containing10, 20, 30, or 40 g/L NaCl). The fresh and dry weights of increased, then decreased, with increase in salinity. The salt content of the plant's aboveground biomass increased to a constant range and, thus, the salt extraction of was relatively stable under different salinities of irrigation water. Under the experimental conditions, the crude protein content significantly increased to 9.45% dry weight (DW) and then decreased to 6.85% DW, with an increase in salinity ( < 0.05). The neutral detergent fiber (42.93%-50.00% DW) and acid detergent fiber (34.76%-39.70% DW) contents were suitable for forage. The contents of trace elements, such as copper and zinc, were significantly increased after irrigation with saline water ( < 0.05). The forage of is of high nutritive value for livestock, and contains low concentrations of anti-nutrients. Therefore, can be considered for cultivation in saline soils irrigated with saline water. In addition, it provides a viable additional source of fodder in arid regions, where the availability of freshwater and non-saline arable land is limited.