OSMOPROTECTIVE COMPOUNDS ACCUMULATION AND ESSENTIAL OIL YIELD OF ROSEMARY (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) GROWN UNDER DIFFERENT SALINITY LEVELS

In this study, we study the effect of salinity on the growth of rosemary plants and salt tolerance. For this purpose, the plants were grown in a 2 L pot containing the soil collected in the Nador region (Morocco) and treated with different concentrations of NaCl (T1: 0 mM, T2: 50 mM, T3: 100 mM and T4: 200 mM). We analyzed the effect of these treatments on essential oil content, growth parameters and biochemical parameters such as chlorophyll, proteins, soluble sugars, proline and total phenols. The results found here have shown that salinity negatively influences the content of dried leaves in essential oils, the growth and the pigment levels of rosemary plants. However, treatment with high doses of salt (T3: 200 mM NaCl) can have a positive impact on biochemical parameters such as glucose, proline, soluble proteins and total phenols. These results suggest that Rosmarinus officinalis is relatively tolerant to salt stress and a high concentration of NaCl improves the nutritional quality of this plant by accumulating high levels of phenols. Therefore, Rosmarinus officinalis is a good candidate for growing in the saline soils of the Nador region and could play an important role in reducing the risk of desertification.