Cash Crop Halophytes: The Ecologically and Economically Sustainable Use of Naturally Salt-Resistant Plants in the Context of Global Changes

Facing the challenge of sustainable bioenergy production: Could halophytes be part of the solution?

“…In fact, P. karka and P. turgidum , irrigated with 100 mM and 125 mM of NaCl, respectively, maintain growth potentialities (in term of biomass production) comparable to plants grown on non-saline soils [ 74 , 95 ]. These halophytes are rich in cellulose/hemicellulose and low in lignin, a composition suitable for efficient bioethanol production, and can thus strengthen the feedstock for biofuels [ 17 , 74 , 100 , 101 ].…”

Management and Ecosystem Services of Halophytic Vegetation

“…The halophytic ecosystems provide a range of provisioning services that can be recognized as nutrition, obtaining of useful pharmaceuticals and biomaterials, and energy services. There are several successful pilot projects regarding provisioning services of halophytes with some interesting indications on their use (Geissler et al 2013) such as:…”

“…Due to generally low salinity tolerance of crops, the focus should be on halophytes, which could be treated as potential crop plants for the future, especially in light of global climate change (Geissler et al 2013). However, there are differences in salt tolerance within the group of halophytes, and depending on the level of salt tolerance, they can be classified into three categories: (a) of low salt tolerance (up to 7 g NaCl/l), (b) transition group (up to 25 g NaCl/l), and (c) of high salt tolerance (up to 65 g NaCl/l) (as a comparison, seawater contains approximately 30 g NaCl/l) (Geissler et al 2013).…”

“…It was shown that some halophytic species may be used as source of oilseeds, as their seeds and/or fruits contain sufficient content and optimal composition of lipids and other nutritional compounds. This was showed for the following halophytes: Salicornia europaea, Suaeda salsa, Halocnemum strobilaceum, Elaeagnus angustifolia, and Nitraria sibirica (Geissler et al 2013). The species of genera Salicornia, as well as Suaeda aralocaspica, were recognized as potential oilseed plants according to the high content of fatty acids which is higher than in soybean and the castor bean (Abideen et al 2015).…”

“…The species of genera Salicornia, as well as Suaeda aralocaspica, were recognized as potential oilseed plants according to the high content of fatty acids which is higher than in soybean and the castor bean (Abideen et al 2015). Seeds of Salicornia fruticosa, Kochia scoparia, and some other halophytes are source of fats and fat-soluble vitamins of their good quality edible oil (Geissler et al 2013). According to Atia et al (2019), Portulaca oleracea is rich in omega-3 FA which are known for immune system enhancement and role in prevention of the heart attack, and species Salicornia bigelovii is cultivated as a new oilseed crop because of seeds containing about 30% of oil with very pleasant, nutty aroma and higher content of linoleic acid comparing to sunflower oil.…”