Salinity effects on germination and seedlings biomass of Pachycereus pecten-aboriginum: an endangered species

Cacti are particularly sensitive to habitat disturbance since they have slow growth and a longlife cycle. Their development and establishment depend on several factors, includingenvironmental requirements for germination and establishment of seedlings. Two of the mostinfluential factors are soil and water salinity. The objective of this study was to quantify seedsgermination and seedling biomass production of the Aborigine’s comb cactus (Pachyceruspecten-aboriginum) in salt stress using sodium chloride (NaCl) as the main salt source. Theexperiment was arranged in a completely randomized design using six salt levels (0.11, 2.03,4.00, 6.03, 8.03 and 10.07 dS m-1) with five replicates of 20 seeds each one. The seeds werecollected in a wild population of P. pecten-aboriginum in Ejido Álvaro Obregón, BajaCalifornia Sur, Mexico in June 2011. The results showed that germination and seedlingbiomass were significantly affected by salt stress, which was higher at 2.03 and 0.11 dS m-1,followed by 6.03 and 4.00 dS m-1, lower at 8.03 dS m-1, and no growth at 10.07 dS m-1. It isconcluded that saline levels using sodium chloride as the main source of salt, affect seedgermination and seedling biomass production of P. pecten-aboriginum significantly.