Promoting biodiversity in urban spaces: exploring the resilience of two wild plants, Pancratium maritimum L. and Artemisia herba-alba asso, in landscaping.

BACKGROUND

Because of their ecological, aesthetic, and beneficial characteristics, native desert plants are highly significant. They can also be utilized in landscape architecture, particularly in environments with harsh conditions. The present study aims to evaluate the potential utilization of the wild desert plants Pancratium maritimum L. (Amaryllidaceae) and Artemisia herba-alba Asso (Asteraceae) in sustainable landscape architecture strategies.

RESULT

Pot experiments were conducted, including different water regimes and soil types. In the case of P. maritimum, all growth parameters showed significant differences (P˂ 0.001) among the water regime treatments, except ground cover. The same trend was notable between the two soil types, except for leaf area and maximum leaf length. Results recommended irrigating P. maritimum to 75% of field capacity when reached 30% in sandy soil (W2S5) due to its comparatively low water consumption (70 ± 12 L/ month/ m) and relatively minimal effort, while maintaining the plant's aesthetic value showing considerable values of growth parameters and being not significantly different from highest emmeans for each studied growth parameters. In the experiment of A. herba-alba, all growth parameters showed significant differences (P˂ 0.001) among the water regime treatments, with notable significant variations between the two soil types in all growth parameters. The results recommended irrigating A. herba-alba to 75% of field capacity when 35% is reached in its native soil (W2S2), as it shows the highest emmean value for all studied growth parameters. According to our findings, P. maritimum was successfully propagated by bulb, resulting in a 100% success rate. A. herba-alba demonstrated successful vegetative propagation by stem cuttings; both herbaceous and semi-woody, retaining its attractive appearance. Herbaceous cuttings of A. herba-alba are more successful in propagation, especially when using sandy soil in spring.

CONCLUSION

P. maritimum and A. herba-alba had effective strategies to mitigate the adverse effects of drought stress. The present preliminary investigation's findings may substantially improve water valorization by using native plants in landscaping, especially in arid and semi-arid regions.