Salinity effects on growth, biomass production, and genetic resources for phytoremediation potential of halophyte species in the desert

Halophytes are plants that thrive under saline conditions, presenting a viable solution for food security in arid regions. This study evaluates the growth, biomass production, and phytoremediation potential of two halophytic forage species, Ochthochloa compressa and Aeluropus lagopoides, under salinity levels from the Cholistan Desert, Pakistan and would be used for genetic resources. A hydroponic experiment was conducted using Hoagland's solution (1979) in an experimental setting. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation and a completely randomized design. The results indicate a negative correlation between increased salinity and various growth parameters, including the number of leaves, dry weight, membrane stability index, relative leaf water content, chlorophyll content, potassium (K) uptake, net photosynthesis, transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, and water use efficiency. Conversely, sodium content showed a positive correlation in both species. The highest negative correlation was observed in K + ions (− 0.962), while Na + exhibited a strong positive correlation (0.948) in O. compressa. The coefficient of determination (R²) of the model was 0.899 while the adjusted R² was 0.892 with the standard error of the estimate being 2.012 for fresh biomass against the stress. The Stepwise Linear Regression Model for both species shows the significant values of the selected variables. Number of leaves and transpiration rate are main factors for fresh biomass production, where R² value given by the model was 0.899 while the adjusted R² was 0.892 with the standard error of the estimate being 2.012 for fresh biomass against the stress in O. compressa. These findings reveal that both species are inherently halophytic, would be utilized for biomass production and phytoremediation in arid environments.