The shortage of water and the increasing salinity are the main limiting environmental factors that directly affect the establishment and the development of crops. In this research, phytodesalination capacity of Sesuvium verrucosum was evaluated alone and in combination with agricultural gypsum (CaSO4·2H2O) and Polisul-C, in order to remedy a moderately saline soil at greenhouse level and under nonleaching conditions. The treatments studied were the following: T1 (soil), T2 (soil + S. verrucosum), T3 (soil +S. verrucosum + Polisul-C), T4 (soil + S. verrucosum + CaSO4·2H2O). Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) tubes filled with 8 kg of clay soil with an electrical conductivity of the saturation paste extract (ECe) of6.21 dS.m-1 were used. Soil samples were analyzed to determine the ECe, and the soluble and interchangeable cations (Na+, K+, Ca2+ and Mg2+) content. Then, the halophytic plants were divided into root and aerial parts and the content of Na+, K+, Ca2+ and Mg2+ was determined. In summary, S. verrucosum showed potential to desalinate its rhizosphere. Moreover, S. verrucosum desalination capacity significantly increases when used in combination with either of the tested amendments. This increase occurred mainly in the upper layers of the clay soil (0-30 cm). CaSO4·2H2O was shown to be the most effective amendment, since a greater gain in biomass and a large accumulation of sodium (Na+) in the aerial part of S. verrucosum was observed as a consequence of the soil improved physico-chemical properties caused by this chemical.

Water scarcity and increasing salinity are the main limiting environmental factors directly affecting the establishment and development of agroecosystems. The objective of this study was to assess the capacity of the halophytes Bacopa monnieri (L.) Wettst and Sesuvium verrucosum Raf., to improve the chemical properties of a saline soil during a 240-day period in the field so as to subsequently examine their potential to associate with Zea mays in the previously desalinated surface. The treatments proposed were [T1 (reference soil sample), T2 (soil + B. monnieri), T3 (soil + S. verrucosum), and T4 (soil + B. monnieri + S. verrucosum)]. The results showed that the association of the species B monnieri and S. verrucosum has the potential to enhance the chemical characteristics of the severely saline and clayey soil, showing ECe reductions of 11.13–7.97 dS/m and pH of 7.84–7.42, as well as increase in soil porosity from 54.71% to 57.23%. It was also found that the association of these plants have a phytodesalination capacity of 1.21 t Na⁺ ha⁻¹, this served to prepare the conditions for the growth of the Z. mays and generate yields of 8.5 t ha⁻¹.

Many agricultural areas around the world tend to use deep wells when rainwater, surface sources, and dams are not available, what it entails, on many occasions, those producers to carry out irrigations to their crops with poor quality water due to the wealth of natural salts that prevails in the groundwater. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of saline water on the growth, development, and yield parameters of cultivated Allium cepa, with and without the accompaniment of three halophyte species (Sesuvium verrucosum, Trianthema portulacastrum, and Bacopa monnieri), as well as to evaluate the capacity of halophyte species to mitigate the effects of soil salinity. The results showed that treatments with halophytes improved crop yield by 52.89, 39.81, and 11.58%, respectively, over the control (without halophyte). In addition, with the application of saline water (5.2 dS m⁻¹), the same treatments showed a reduction in soil electrical conductivity of 60.80, 50.66, and 41.68% with respect to the control, which resulted in an adequate development of the crop. In conclusion, the association of the halophytes with A. cepa showed improved growth, development, yield, and mitigating the effects of salinization in clayey soil when irrigated with strongly saline water.

Microplastics (MPs) are of great interest for study because they accumulate in environmental systems, such as terrestrial ones, which include agricultural soils. Unfortunately, in recent years, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many face masks have been discarded in the environment, causing an increase in this type of MP. This accumulation can influence the physicochemical and biological properties of soil derived from its microbial activity. In the present study, different concentrations of MPs from commercial polypropylene (PP) face masks were mixed with agricultural soil. Four different treatments with the following MP concentrations were studied: T1: 0%, T2: 0.5%, T3: 1%, and T4: 5% w w⁻¹. C and N mineralization experiments were carried out over time at the microcosm level, where physicochemical, enzymatic and ecophysiological indicators were analyzed. Based on the analyzed indicators, a soil quality index called the Unified Weighted Additive Index (SQI_u) was developed. The resulting SQI_u showed N_min as the indicator with the closest relationship to the quality of the soils with MPs. Once the SQI_u was determined, the T4 treatment showed significant differences $(p\le 0.05)$ with respect to the control, presenting a higher quality value. The importance of conducting more research on the dynamics of C and N in different soils with different types, sizes, and concentrations of MPs can help to establish strategies to measure the effects of MPs on soils at the local, national, and international levels.