Morfometría de Salicornia bigelovii (Torr.) bajo tratamientos de lombricomposta cultivada en un sistema tipo chinampa

Abstract

An experiment was set up with the cultivation of the halophyte Salicornia bigelovii (Torr.) in La Paz, Baja California Sur, with the aim of innovating marine agro-aquaculture production using a system similar to that of chinampa, to increase water productivity in arid and coastal areas, using the floating root method. The protocol was developed on substrate plates to promote capillary absorption through anti-aphid mesh, mounted on a structure divided into 15 hydroponic trays, with the application of vermicompost as a biofertilizer at 25, 50, 75, and 100% (25Lc, 50Lc, 75Lc, and 100Lc) on sandy substrate and the control (100SA). The marine hydroponic system consisted of floating modules installed in a seawater pond, adapted for densities of up to 750 plants per 2.7 m2 structure. Average yield was estimated for fresh biomass per plant; the response variables were emergence percentage, aerial part length (APL), stem thickness (ST), number of branches (NB), fresh biomass (FB), dry biomass (DB), chlorophyll ‘a’, chlorophyll ‘b’, and total chlorophyll. The results indicate that Lc has a positive effect on photosynthetic pigments. Higher levels (75Lc and 100Lc) promoted a significant increase in chlorophyll ‘a’ and total chlorophyll compared to the control with sand substrate (100SA). Significant differences were found in shoot length, stem diameter, and total biomass production (p< 0.001), indicating that the incorporation of Lc promoted a positive physiological response in the plants.