Introduction: Urmia Lake is a lake in northwestern Iran, which is located between the two provinces of West and East Azerbaijan according to the divisions of Iran and is the sixth saltwater lake in the world. This lake is fed more than Zarrineh, Simineh, Talkheh, Gader, Baranduz, Shahrchai, Nazlu and Zola rivers. It is complete, including the reasons for the dryness of the lake, human reasons such as, construction of highways on the lake, improper use of catchment resources, non-expert agriculture regardless of the area's cultivation capacity, construction of several dams and natural reasons can reduce rainfall Snow and rain and drought were mentioned.
According to environmental experts, if the lake dries, the temperate climate of the region will turn into tropical air with salt winds and the environmental conditions of the region will change. In addition to salt, many contaminants, including heavy toxic metals used in agriculture, penetrate the surface and subsurface waters associated with the lake, and many of the toxins become aerobic when the lake is completely dry.The most important cause of destructive effects of environment and disease in the inhabitants of dried lakes is toxic dust, which causes salt and soil particles to settle on the leaves and stems and the possibility of proper nutrition by animals is eliminated. It is also predicted that with the drying up of the lake, salt-containing precipitation will occur in many neighboring provinces, which will lead to massive migration of people to the cities, which in turn will have irreparable consequences for the region.
Salinity agriculture is the exploitation of saline water and soil resources for the production of agricultural and horticultural products, both salinity and non-salinity. Salinization is an economic technology of exploiting saline water and soil resources that cannot be used in conventional agriculture with emphasis on environmental aspects.
Saline plants (halophytes) are plants that are able to complete their life cycle in saline soils. These plants can coexist with seawater and other water and saline soils and reduce excess salt in the soil. Seawater can also be used to irrigate them. Due to the rich resources of sea water, these plants are a great help to control desertification and desertification. Several countries use these plants to regenerate ecosystems, about 1.11% of the earth's plant flora are salinity-resistant salt marshes. Saline products can even be used as fodder, wood, medicinal and oily plants, etc. Also, with saline agriculture, the pressure on fresh water resources will be less
Salicornia is a succulent, succulent, annual plant of the family Chenopodiace and the genus Salicornioideae. The embryo is located in the annular seed or horseshoe and the flowers are complete, the inflorescence is spike and the stem is banded and articulated. About 60 species of salicornia have been identified so far. One of the most famous species is S. bigelovii (S. bigelovii), which grows in the coastal areas of North and Central America.
So far, Mexico, India, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have successfully cultivated salicornia. Out of 15 species of salicornia in the world, there are seven species in Iran. The habitats of this plant in Iran include the provinces of Fars, Semnan, Gorgan, Khuzestan, Bushehr, Hormozgan, Yazd, West Azerbaijan, East Azerbaijan, Isfahan, Qom and Tehran. But despite the fact that Iran is one of the main habitats of this plant, studies conducted on this plant in our country are very limited.
Due to the diversity that exists in Salicornia, Iran, it is possible to use a suitable species for the climatic conditions of Lake Urmia to exploit the water resources and saline soils of this region. Has been selected and studied as a suitable example for this project.
Methods: According to studies on Salicornia cultivation, Salicornia persica was cultivated in this project. Potting was done with soils of different areas around Lake Urmia, which were randomly selected from every 15 km of the lake and collected in 15 pots. The method of cultivation was that after soil preparation and proper leveling, the pots were irrigated to harden the soil surface. The seeds were then sown to a depth of one centimeter in the soil completely and covered with powdered manure. In order to prevent damage to the delicate seeds of this plant, cultivation was done completely superficially and fertilization was done with more sensitivity and the soil surface was kept moist until the plant was fully established. After about 25-30 days, the results of the study were reviewed and analyzed.
Results: The results of this study showed that cultivation of this plant in the greenhouse is possible by controlling environmental factors and considering the sensitivity of the plant to climatic conditions and photoperiod of the region, soil salinity, the need for special minerals in the early stages of cultivation. . During irrigation of the plant with salt water and drainage, germination is observed for 10 to 20 days. Salicornia is suitable for hot seasons and can not tolerate sub-zero temperatures, so its cultivation in lake lands requires the provision of greenhouse conditions and suitable temperatures in the cold seasons of the year. Excessive irrigation increases the cost of pumping water and creates a large volume of drainage water and leaching of nutrients, so according to the climate of the region and environmental conditions, more studies and research should be done.
Conclusion: The results of the present study are consistent with the results of some studies (Beyrami et al. 1398) and it is possible to exploit the Salicornia plant in the lands of Lake Urmia if the lake is provided with suitable greenhouse conditions. Therefore, in order to enjoy the benefits of planting this plant in the lands of Lake Urmia, more studies should be done to identify and control the interfering factors and adjust the dryland growth conditions of Salicornia plant with greenhouse conditions. In case of planting and growth of the species, this plant can be used in controlling and stabilizing the soil of saline lands around the lake. Some of the problems in doing this project are:
1- Irrigation in pots is different from irrigation in the field, so in terms of minerals in the samples and the area of soil in which the cultivation was done, more studies should be done.
2- The water used for irrigation in the project was ordinary urban water; But in the fields, the waters around the lake are used, which are different in terms of salinity and salts in them.
3- With each irrigation, the salt in the soil is washed away and the salinity of the soil decreases slightly. Therefore, direct on-farm cultivation is recommended to complete the research.
Keywords: Salicornia plant, Lake Urmia lands, ecosystem