Soil salinity is a major constraint to food production due to its negative impact on crop yield. Kochia (Kochia scoparia) is a salinity-resistant plant that can widely be used as emergency forage for livestock by using saline waters and soils in desert ecosystems. In order to investigate physiological mechanism, antioxidants activity and potential production of Kochia in response to different levels of salinity, an experiment was performed in a split plot based on randomized complete block design with three replications. Saline waters (5.2, 10.5 and 23.1 dS m-1) and three Kochia ecotypes (Birjand, Borujerd and Sabzevar) were allocated as main and sub plots, respectively. The results showed that salinity did not impose any significant effect on dry matter production but relative water content (RWC) and seed yield decreased by salinity stress. In general, no positive correlation coefficient was observed between dry matter production and physiological and biochemical parameters except superoxide dismutase (SOD) at 23.1 dS m-1. There was no significant difference among ecotypes in dry matter production and seed yield. Sabzevar ecotype showed the highest proline, total phenol content and peroxidase (POX) activity. Ascorbate peroxidase (APX), catalase (CTA), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity was higher in Borujerd ecotype, while highest soluble sugar, glutathione reductase (GR) activity and DPPH - radical scavenging activity was observed in Birjand ecotype. According to these results, Kochia has a reliable tolerance to elevated levels of salinities up to 23 dS m-1 and it seems that it can control oxidative stress by continuing growth.

Keywords