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Halophytes for Food Security in Dry Lands

1st Edition - September 15, 2015

Authors: Muhammad Ajmal Khan, Munir Ozturk, Bilquees Gul, Muhammad Zaheer Ahmed

Paperback ISBN:

9 7 8 - 0 - 1 2 - 8 0 1 8 5 4 - 5

eBook ISBN:

9 7 8 - 0 - 1 2 - 8 0 1 8 8 0 - 4

Halophytes for Food Security in Dry Lands addresses the concerns surrounding global food scarcity, especially focusing on those living in arid and dry lands The book touches on… Read more

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Halophytes for Food Security in Dry Lands

addresses the concerns surrounding global food scarcity, especially focusing on those living in arid and dry lands

The book touches on food crises in dry regions of the world and proposes halophytes as an alternate source of consumption for such areas. Halophytes, those plants that thrive in saline soil and provide either food source options themselves, or positively enhance an eco-system’s ability to produce food, and are thus an important and increasingly recognized option for addressing the needs of the nearly 1/6 of the world’s population that lives in these arid and semi-arid climates.

Including presentations from the 2014 International Conference on Halophytes for Food Security in Dry Lands, this book features insights from the leading researchers in the subject. It is a valuable resource that includes information on the nutritional value of halophytes, their genetic basis and potential enhancement, adaption of halophytes, and lessons learned thus far.

Foreword by Sheikha Abdulla Al Misnad
Foreword by Eiman Al-Mustafawi
List of Contributors
Introduction
1. Characterization and Function of Sodium Exchanger Genes in Aeluropus lagopoides Under NaCl Stress
- 1.1 Introduction
- 1.2 Materials and Methods
- 1.3 Results
- 1.4 Discussion
- References
2. Multi-Temporal Soil Salinity Assessment at a Detailed Scale for Discriminating Halophytes Distribution
- 2.1 Introduction
- 2.2 Objective
- 2.3 Methodology
- 2.4 Results and Discussion
- 2.5 Conclusions
- References
3. Nutritional Value of Chenopodium quinoa Seeds Obtained from an Open Field Culture Under Saline Conditions
- 3.1 Introduction
- 3.2 Materials and Methods
- 3.3 Results and Discussion
- 3.4 Conclusion
- References
4. Halophytes and Saline Vegetation of Afghanistan, a Potential Rich Source for People
- 4.1 Introduction
- 4.2 Methods
- 4.3 Results
- 4.4 Discussion
- 4.5 Conclusions
- Acknowledgments
- References
5. Comparison of Seed Production and Agronomic Traits of 20 Wild Accessions of Salicornia bigelovii Torr. Grown Under Greenhouse Conditions
- 5.1 Introduction
- 5.2 Materials and Methods
- 5.3 Results
- 5.4 Discussion
- 5.5 Conclusion
- 5.6 Acknowledgment
- References
6. Carbon Mitigation: A Salt Marsh Ecosystem Service in Times of Change
- 6.1 Salt Marshes: Key Ecosystems
- 6.2 Salt Marsh Sediments: Sinks or Sources?
- 6.3 Halophytes: An Efficient Carbon Pump
- 6.4 Out-Welling Carbon
- 6.5 Hydrological Control of Carbon Stocks
- 6.6 Global Warming and Carbon Stocks
- 6.7 CO₂ Rising in Salt Marshes: Improvement or Constraint?
- 6.8 Final Remarks
- References
7. Food Security in the Face of Salinity, Drought, Climate Change, and Population Growth
- 7.1 Introduction
- 7.2 The Problem of Food Security
- 7.3 The Problem of Salinity in Agriculture
- 7.4 Fitting Crops to the Environment—A Place for Halophytes?
- 7.5 Concluding Remarks
- References
8. The Importance of Mangrove Ecosystems for Nature Protection and Food Productivity: Actions of UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Programme
- 8.1 UNESCO Normative Tools to Ensure the Protection of the Environment and Its Wise Use
- 8.2 The MAB and Its World Network of Biosphere Reserves
- 8.3 Distribution and Socio-Economic and Environmental Importance of Mangrove Ecosystems
- 8.4 Actions of UNESCO’s MAB
- 8.5 Actions in Biosphere Reserves
- 8.6 Conclusion
- References
9. The Potential Use of Halophytes for the Development of Marginal Dry Areas in Morocco
- 9.1 Introduction
- 9.2 Bio-Climate in Morocco
- 9.3 Biodiversity in Morocco
- 9.4 Vulnerability of Morocco to Climate Variations
- 9.5 Problems of Salinity in Morocco
- 9.6 Agriculture in Massa and Drâa Valleys
- 9.7 Potential Use of Halophytes in Areas Affected by Salinity
- 9.8 Youth Potential in Arid Areas in Morocco
- 9.9 Conclusion
- References
10. Halophyte Transcriptomics: Understanding Mechanisms of Salinity Tolerance
- 10.1 Introduction
- 10.2 Transcriptome Sequencing Overview
- 10.3 Applications of RNA Studies
- 10.4 NGS Approaches for Salt-Tolerance Studies
- 10.5 Genes Involved in General Metabolism
- 10.6 Regulatory Molecules
- 10.7 LEA Protein Coding Genes
- 10.8 Other Genomic Elements
- 10.9 Pathways
- 10.10 Conclusions and Future Directions
- Acknowledgment
- References
11. Sustainable Diversity of Salt-Tolerant Fodder Crop–Livestock Production System Through Utilization of Saline Natural Resources: Egypt Case Study
- 11.1 Introduction
- 11.2 Egypt’s General Characteristics
- 11.3 General Characteristics of Project Location in Sinai Region
- 11.4 Main Activities and Results
- 11.5 Conclusions
- Acknowledgments
- References
12. Insights into the Ecology and the Salt Tolerance of the Halophyte Cakile maritima Using Multidisciplinary Approaches
- 12.1 Introduction
- 12.2 Latitudinal Distribution and Taxonomic Diversity
- 12.3 Dispersal and Environmental Adaptation
- 12.4 Basis of the Tolerance to Salinity
- 12.5 Cakile maritima: Model Halophyte for Future Research in Salt-Stress Physiology
- References
13. Exogenous Chemical Treatments Have Differential Effects in Improving Salinity Tolerance of Halophytes
- 13.1 Introduction
- 13.2 Materials and Methods
- 13.3 Results
- 13.4 Discussion
- 13.5 Conclusions
- Acknowledgments
- References
14. Food and Water Security for Dry Regions: A New Paradigm
- 14.1 Introduction
- 14.2 Water and Food Production
- 14.3 Conventional Solutions
- 14.4 Nonconventional Solutions
- 14.5 Potential Uses of Halophytes
- 14.6 What We Have Done
- 14.7 Future Directions, Pitfalls, and Possibilities
- References
15. Genetic and Environmental Management of Halophytes for Improved Livestock Production
- 15.1 Introduction
- 15.2 Potential Forage and Crop Solutions
- 15.3 Halophytes for Livestock
- 15.4 Current Limitations in the Use of Halophytes for Livestock Production
- 15.5 Genetic Improvement of Halophytes for Livestock
- 15.6 Environmental Manipulation
- 15.7 Conclusions
- References
16. Drought and Salinity Differently Affect Growth and Secondary Metabolites of “Chenopodium quinoa Willd” Seedlings
- 16.1 Introduction
- 16.2 Materials and Methods
- 16.3 Results
- 16.4 Discussion
- 16.5 Conclusion
- References
17. Germination Eco-Physiology and Plant Diversity in Halophytes of Sundarban Mangrove Forest in Bangladesh
- 17.1 Introduction
- 17.2 Materials and Methods
- 17.3 Results and Discussion
- References
18. Halophytic Plant Diversity of Unique Habitats in Turkey: Salt Mine Caves of Çankırı and Iğdır
- 18.1 Introduction
- 18.2 Study Areas
- 18.3 Halophyte Diversity
- 18.4 Economical Evaluations
- 18.5 Medicinal and Aromatic Halophytes in Çankırı and Iğdır Provinces
- 18.6 Conclusions
- References
19. Halophytes as a Possible Alternative to Desalination Plants: Prospects of Recycling Saline Wastewater During Coal Seam Gas Operations
- 19.1 Introduction
- 19.2 Materials and Methods
- 19.3 Results and Discussion
- 19.4 Conclusions
- Acknowledgments
- References
Index

Muhammad Ajmal Khan

Affiliations and expertise

Qatar University, Qatar

Munir Ozturk

Dr. Munir Ozturk (Ph.D) holds Ph.D. and D.Sc. degrees from the Ege University, Turkiye. He is currently acting as the “Vice President of the Islamic World Academy of Sciences”and is also Fellow of the Islamic World Academy of Science. Dr. Ozturk has been honored as the “Foreign Fellow Pakistan Academy of Science”. He has served at the Ege University-Turkiye for more than 50 years in different positions, has been Founder Director of the Centre for Environmental Studies, Ege University, and Chairman of the Botany Department and Director of the Botanical Garden. Sideritis ozturkii and Verbascum ozturkii are 2 newly recorded endemic plant species from Turkiye in his name. His fields of scientific interest are; pollution & biomonitoring; biosaline agriculture; plant ecophysiology, medicinal and aromatic plants conservation. Dr. Ozturk has published almost 60 books with internationally known publishers including Springer, Elsevier,Taylor & Francis, Wiley and few others. His biodata shows more than 90 book chapters and 200 papers in international journals; 120 with impact factor. He has also presented 125 papers at the International Meetings and 85 at the National Meetings. Dr. Munir has served as a guest editor for more than 13 journals; holds more than 20 Memberships of “Institutions and Professional Bodies”; has been recognized by more than 12 “National and International Bodies”; has received fellowships from the globally recognized Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Japanese Society for Promotion of Science, and the National Science Foundation of the USA. He has also worked as consultant fellow at the Faculty of Forestry, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia; and as Distinguished Visiting Scientist at International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences, ICCBS-TWAS, Karachi University, Pakistan.

Affiliations and expertise

Professor / Researcher, Ege University, Bornova Izmir, Turkey

Bilquees Gul

Affiliations and expertise

University of Karachi, Pakistan

Muhammad Zaheer Ahmed

Affiliations and expertise

University of Karachi, Pakistan