Natrum muriaticum modifies productive response variables in Salicornia bigelovii (Torr.)

Abstract

Salicornia bigelovii (Torr.) is a plant with promising agro-industrial potential and homeopathy is a natural alternative that does not affect the safety of the treated organism. The objective of the study was to evaluate the effect of the homeopathic medicine Natrum muriaticum (NaM) on productive response variables of S. bigelovii with different levels of salinity (NS) in hydroponic culture, applying a completely randomized experimental design, with factorial arrangement (3A x 3B) and three repetitions of 15 plants each. Two salinity levels (NS-50 and NS-100) and a control without salinity (NS-0) were applied as factor A, and two centesimal dynamizations of NaM (NaM-7CH and NaM-31CH) and a control without medicine (NaM-0CH) as factor B. The response variables evaluated were aerial part length (APL), root part length (RPL), stem thickness (ST), leaf area (LA), water potential (WP), relative water content (RWC), chlorophyll ‘a’, chlorophyll ‘b’ and total chlorophyll. With the homeopathic treatment NaM-7CH, higher values were recorded in RPL and with NaM-31CH, higher average values in chlorophyll ‘a’, chlorophyll ‘b’ and total chlorophyll. With the saline treatment NS-50, higher values were obtained for APL, RPL, ST, LA, RWC, chlorophylls ‘a’, ‘b’ and total. The highest average values in plant morphology corresponded to the interactions NS-50/NaM-7CH and NS-50/NaM-31CH. This suggests a positive effect of NaM on relevant productive response variables of S. bigelovii and its potential applicability in the hydroponic culture of this coastal halophyte.