Rising sea levels and salinization of groundwater due to global climate change result in fast-dwindling sources of freshwater. Therefore, it is important to find alternatives to grow food crops and vegetables. Halophytes are naturally evolved salt-tolerant plants that are adapted to grow in environments that inhibit the growth of most glycophytic crop plants substantially. Members of the Salico...

glasswort (Salicornia fruticosa) is the most widely distributed species of the perennial genus of glasswort in Egypt and it shows great biotechnological potential as a salt-water irrigated crop. Oil analysis of Salicornia fruticosa seeds was carried out in the current study. Chloroform and methanol mixture (2:1 v:v) extraction yielded maximum oil content from seeds (28.59%). The physical and ch...

BACKGROUND Marine algae, also called seaweeds, are abundantly present in the coastal area of Iran, especially in Persian Gulf. These plants contain important phytochemical constituents and have potential biological activities. The present study investigated the presence of phytochemical constituents and total phenolic quantification of the seaweeds Gracilaria salicornia and Gracilaria corticata...

The plasma membrane Na + /H + -antiporter SOS1 is essential for salt tolerance in plants. In Chapter 4, we observed a ten-fold higher constitutive expression of SOS1 in the highly salt tolerant salt-accumulating halophyte Salicornia dolichostachya in comparison with a lower inducible SOS1 expression in its glycophytic family member Spinacia oleracea. The objective of this study was to investiga...

Although they represent only 2% of terrestrial plant species, halophytes are present in about half the higher plant families and represent a wide diversity of plant forms. Despite their polyphyletic origins, halophytes appear to have evolved the same basic method of osmotic adjustment: accumulation of inorganic salts, mainly NaCl, in the vacuole and accumulation of organic solutes in the cytopl...

Vacuum drying of Salicornia herbacea L. was performed at different drying temperatures (50, 60, 70, and 80°C) to evaluate the drying characteristics and the effect of drying temperatures on the quality of Salicornia. As the drying temperature increased, the drying time decreased significantly (P< 0.05). The drying rate decreased with decrease in moisture content and increase in drying time. On ...

The red alga Gracilaria salicornia (c. Agardh) E. Y. Dawson was introduced intentionally to two reefs on O'ahu, Hawai'i, in the 1970s for experimental aquaculture for the agar industry. Some 30 yr later, this species has spread from the initial sites of introduction and is now competing with native marine flora and fauna. The goals of this study were to quantify various aspects of G. salicornia...