Effects of day length on flowering and yield production of Salicornia and Sarcocornia species

Salicornia is a new vegetable crop that can be irrigated with highly saline water, even at salt concentrations equivalent to full-strength seawater. During leafy vegetable cultivation, the onset of the reproductive phase is an undesired phenomenon that reduces yield and quality and prevents year-round cultivation. Knowledge about the regulation of floral induction in the members of the tribe Salicornieae, however, is lacking. To establish year-round cultivation, we studied the flower induction of five Salicornia and two Sarcocornia varieties. Plants were grown under two day lengths, 13.5 h and 18 h, and harvested by a repetitive harvest regime. A 13.5-h day length prevented flower induction in the Israeli Salicornia varieties, but a longer day length was required to prevent flower induction in two species originating from more northern latitudes. The onset of the reproductive phase under suboptimal short day length conditions severely reduced vegetative growth and yields in Salicornia. In Sarcocornia, the repetitive harvest regime prevented flowering, making it a promising candidate for year-round cultivation. Irrigating the plants with full-strength seawater (electrical conductivity 48 dS m−1) vs. water with moderate salinity (electrical conductivity 10 dS m−1) did not change the general flowering pattern of the studied Salicornieae members.

► Day length manipulations prevent flowering and allow year-round cultivation of the annual Salicornia.
► Repetitive harvest prevents flowering and allows year-round cultivation of the perennial Sarcocornia.
► Light source gradient is a suitable tool to study day length effects on flowering.
► Short day flower induction is still evident in Salicornia types growing during increasing day length.
► Seawater salinity does not affect the flowering pattern of Salicornieae.