Ecological engineering through the biosecure introduction of Kosteletzkya virginica (seashore mallow) to saline lands in China: A review of 20 years of activity

Abstract Over the past 20 years since its introduction, Kosteletzkya virginica has proved to be one of the optimal halophytes for saline land restoration in China. In six seashore mallow plantations, its well-developed perennial root system promoted the growth of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus in the rhizosphere, where the fungus’s activity produced total glomalin (TG, ranging from 0.85 to 2.43 mg g −1 soil), with a high ratio of TG/SOC (soil organic carbon) up to 53.29% in six-year-old seashore mallow plantation. K. virginica ameliorated the condition of saline soils, promoted native species growth, and increased plant diversity in the plantation sites. Seashore mallow contains many bioactive compounds, e.g., polysaccharides, saponins, flavonoids, etc. which have high bioactivity, and could be used as a fodder additive or for the development of health foods. The leaf, flower, stem and root of K. virginica , serve as raw materials for hierachical development of useful products according to their different properties. This study reviews and summarizes research on K. virginica in China during the past 20 years since its introduction from the USA. Also, we present guidelines for the planting and use of seashore mallow in China, in terms of an ecological engineering roadmap, which illustrates the process and strategy for the restoration of saline soils and designs for biomass industries based on its production.

[1]  Chung-Hsin Chung,et al.  Forty years of ecological engineering with Spartina plantations in China , 2006 .

[2]  P. Qin,et al.  Interactions between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and phosphate-solubilizing fungus (Mortierella sp.) and their effects on Kostelelzkya virginica growth and enzyme activities of rhizosphere and bulk soils at different salinities , 2011, Biology and Fertility of Soils.

[3]  P. Qin,et al.  Estimation of the ecological-economic benefits of two Spartina alterniflora plantations in North Jiangsu, China , 1997 .

[4]  G. Reddy,et al.  Effect of Carbon Substrates on Rock Phosphate Solubilization by Bacteria from Composts and Macrofauna , 2006, Current Microbiology.

[5]  C. Wilson,et al.  Nutritional evaluation of seashore mallow seed, Kosteletzkya virginica. , 1982, Journal of agricultural and food chemistry.

[6]  M. Torn,et al.  Large contribution of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi to soil carbon pools in tropical forest soils , 2001, Plant and Soil.

[7]  Pei Qin,et al.  The positive and negative effects of exotic Spartina alterniflora in China , 2009 .

[8]  Min Xie,et al.  Spartina green food ecological engineering , 1998 .

[9]  P. Qin,et al.  Evidence that arbuscular mycorrhizal and phosphate-solubilizing fungi alleviate NaCl stress in the halophyte Kosteletzkya virginica: nutrient uptake and ion distribution within root tissues , 2013, Mycorrhiza.

[10]  P. Qin,et al.  Mucilage and polysaccharides in the halophyte plant species Kosteletzkya virginica: localization and composition in relation to salt stress. , 2010, Journal of plant physiology.

[11]  P. Qin,et al.  Respiratory enzyme activity and regulation of respiration pathway in seashore mallow (Kosteletzkya virginica) seedlings under waterlogging conditions. , 2012 .

[12]  A. Valery,et al.  Phosphate-solubilizing microorganisms isolated from rhizospheric and bulk soils of colonizer plants at an abandoned rock phosphate mine , 2006, Plant and Soil.

[13]  Chung-Hsin Chung,et al.  Creation of Spartina plantations for reclaiming Dongtai, China, tidal flats and offshore sands , 2004 .

[14]  S. Tsuyuzaki,et al.  Vegetation development patterns on skislopes in lowland Hokkaido, northern Japan , 2002 .

[15]  William J. Mitsch,et al.  Ecological Engineering , 2012, A Systems Approach to the Environmental Analysis of Pollution Minimization.

[16]  P. Qin,et al.  Gene expression of halophyte Kosteletzkyavirginica seedlings under salt stress at early stage , 2009, Genetica.

[17]  Denise M. Seliskar,et al.  Kosteletzkya virginica, an agroecoengineering halophytic species for alternative agricultural production in China's east coast: Ecological adaptation and benefits, seed yield, oil content, fatty acid and biodiesel properties , 2008 .

[18]  Guang Wang,et al.  Ecological control and integral utilization of Spartina alterniflora , 2008 .

[19]  J. L. Gallagher.  Halophytic crops for cultivation at seawater salinity , 1985 .

[20]  P. Qin,et al.  Physiological factors for tolerance of Kosteletzkya virginica (L.) Presl to one-instar bollworms of Helicoverpa armigera (Hubner) , 2010, Acta Physiologiae Plantarum.

[21]  K. Nichols.  Indirect Contributions of AM Fungi and Soil Aggregation to Plant Growth and Protection , 2008 .

[22]  Ultrastructure changes of seedlings of Kosteletzkya virginica under waterlogging conditions , 2011, Biologia Plantarum.

[23]  W. Mitsch,et al.  Wetland restoration and ecological engineering: International Conference of Wetland Restoration and Ecological Engineering , 2009 .

[24]  P. Qin,et al.  Preparation, composition, structure and properties of the Kosteletzkya virginica bast fiber , 2011 .

[25]  D. Neil,et al.  Sedimentation within and among mangrove forests along a gradient of geomorphological settings , 2010 .

[26]  P. Qin,et al.  The prediction of ecological potential for developing salt-tolerant oil plants on coastal saline land in Sheyang Saltern, China , 2010 .