Date of Award
8-2023
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Plant and Environmental Science
Committee Chair/Advisor
Sarah A. White
Committee Member
Jeffrey W. Adelberg
Committee Member
William C. Bridges
Committee Member
Dara M. Park
Abstract
The introduction of poor water quality into commercial nursery crop production is predicated on optimized methods that apply saline irrigation without compromising plant success and health. Halophytes have many mechanisms of salt tolerance; however, these are greatly tied to physiological and developmental maturity. Thus, evaluating salt tolerance of halophytic crops (Hibiscus moscheutos and Kosteletzkya virginica) during seed germination and juvenile phases of life may provide insight into the efficacy of integrating poor quality water in horticultural operations.
Four seed priming methods (hydropriming, proline priming, low concentration halopriming, and high concentration halopriming) were evaluated as pre-sowing techniques to ameliorate the inhibitory effects of salinity on germination. Salinity exposure solutions were comprised of various concentrations of simulated seawater. Increased levels of salinity inhibited germination percentage, mean germination time, and germination uniformity. Priming methods had no effect on germination outcomes.
Containerized salt tolerance of seedlings was evaluated using an acclimatization irrigation schedule. Treatments were characterized by length of exposure to various concentrations of simulated seawater such that certain treatments exposed plants to increasing levels of salinity over time. Acclimatizing procedures for salinity exposure to high concentrations of saline (i.e., treatments) did not impact stem height, plant visual score, or number of leaves. Chlorotic spots, potentially resulting from nutrient deficiency, were present in all treatments, regardless of species and concentration of applied salinity exposures.
Recommended Citation
Tomlin, Morgan, "Salinity in Propagation: Germination and Juvenile Acclimatization of Wetland Halophytes Using Saline Irrigation" (2023). All Theses. 4123.
https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_theses/4123