Soil salinity improves nutritional and health promoting compounds in three varieties of lentil (Lens culinaris Med.)

Lentils are salt sensitive low cost, high-quality protein crop, cultivated in many part of the world. In this work lentils were cultivated using increased soil salinity conditions to evaluate the nutritive and bioactive compounds of the edible part of different lentil varieties. Growth and nutritive properties of each local variety were compared to its own control (lentils cultivated in no saline soil, <4 dS/m) and to the same local variety sold in the market. Salinity improved nutritive properties (proteins, minerals, ascorbic acid, tocopherol, carotenoids, flavonoids and total phenols) and led to the synthesis of dimeric and trimeric cyanidins. Additionally, the antioxidant capacity assays (ABTS, DPPH, FRAP and ferrozine) of the edible seeds, all showed increases for all three varieties. In conclusion, these three lentil varieties can be cultivated, on marginal lands including semi-arid areas where soil salinity can reach 8 dS/m which is beneficial where water is scarce or has a high salinity. At the same time the functional properties of the final product may be improved. The resistant varieties might be used in breeding programs to develop salinity resistant lentil cultivars with high nutritive values.