Compositional Changes in Hydroponically Cultivated Salicornia europaea at Different Growth Stages

Abstract

Abiotic stress conditions, such as salinity, affect plant development and productivity and threaten the sustainability of agricultural production. Salt has been proven to accumulate in soil and water over time as a result of various anthropogenic activities and climatic changes. Species of the genus Salicornia thrive in the most saline environments and have a wide climatic tolerance. They can be found in a variety of subtropical, oceanic, and continental environments. This study aims to establish Salicornia europaea as a novel source of plant-based compounds that can grow in areas unsuitable for other crops. The morphological and compositional changes in the tissues of S. europaea in different consecutive developmental stages have not been investigated so far. Therefore, a comprehensive study of changes during the lifecycle of S. europaea was carried out, following changes in the plant’s composition, including biomass yield, and soluble and insoluble compounds. For this, plants were cultivated in hydroponics for 15 weeks and harvested weekly to analyze biomass production, to determine soluble and insoluble compounds, protein content, and polyphenols. According to the results, glucan, xylan, and lignin increase with plant age, while water extractives decrease. Protein content is higher in young plants, while flavonoid content depends on the phenological stage, decreasing in the early flowering stage and then increasing as plants enter early senescence. Our results can aid in finding the optimal harvesting stage of S. europaea, depending on the component of interest.