Abstract

CASTILLO-VERGARA, Mauricio; CONTRERAS-GONZALEZ, Oscar  and  GOMEZ SCHWARTZ, David. Surface response method for the irrigation of salicornia in the Coquimbo region, Chile. Rev. P+L [online]. 2016, vol.11, n.2, pp.66-74. ISSN 1909-0455.  https://doi.org/10.22507/pml.v11n2a6.

ABSTRACT Introduction. 72 % of Chile's territory suffers from some degree of draught, affecting 90% of its inhabitants. 79,1 % of that territory, then, has some degradation risk and 21,7 % of it can become a desert, and this percentage corresponds to 16.379.342 hectares. Objective. Optimize the irrigation of salicornia plants, considering both salt and fresh water to establish the conditions for best developing this species with the right irrigation and temperature in the Puerto Aldea region in Coquimbo, Chile. Materials and methods. The surface response methodology was used to establish the optimal conditions for the plants' growth with the right irrigation and temperature. Results. High fiber levels could be established for the species analyzed, between 38,2 and 45,84 g/100g, and the highest levels are in the seeds. The best result is that with an irrigation of 750 cc of salt water and 250 cc of fresh water, as it had the lowest mortality of plants (10 %) and the highest growth rate. Conclusions. The usefulness of this plant is diverse, as not only is it good for human consumption but for other industries worldwide, considering its fiber and carbohydrates contents. Further research is suggested in areas such as animal forage development and the economic feasibility of obtaining biodiesel from it.

Keywords : salicornia; optimization; growth; irrigation; sustainability.