Distichlis palmeri: An Endemic Grass in the Coastal Sabkhas of the Northern Gulf of California and a Potential New Grain Crop for Saltwater Agriculture

Abstract

Extensive coastal sabkhas in the northern Gulf of California in North America are colonized by Distichlis palmeri, an endemic grass that produces a grain that was harvested as a staple food by native Cocopah people. It has been considered as a potential perennial grain crop for salt water agriculture. Previous short-term trials have shown good vegetative growth but low percentage of flowering stems resulted in low grain yields. In these trials, we grew D. palmeri outdoors in paddy-style (flooded) conditions in 26–34 g L−1 sea salt solutions. Reproductive maturity was reached 4 years after initial establishment of plants from seed, with nearly all stems producing male or female flowers. Mixtures of male and female plants (1:3) produced 231–310 g m−2 of grain, with nutritional content similar to domesticated grains. These yields are within the range of other grain crops and demonstrate the potential for further developing D. palmeri as a global crop for salinized soils and water supplies.