Distribution and Potential Uses of Halophytes within the Gulf Cooperation Council States

Abstract

The continued growth in the human population of the world will generate an increased demand for food that will be hard to meet with existing agricultural systems, as an equivalent increase in agricultural land is not available. Predicted changes in the climate will likely exacerbate the situation by increasing sea levels and the salinisation of coastal areas. Although most of our crop plants are sensitive to salinity, salt-tolerant plants, halophytes, have evolved and offer a potential as crops that can yield in saline areas or areas irrigated with saline water. We searched the literature for halophytes, identified using the database eHALOPH, native to the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council that could be developed as crops, with the aim of attracting the attention of plant breeders, agriculturists, farmers, and others in the region to the possible uses of halophytes. Halophytic species can be grown and irrigated with brackish water where good drainage is available and used for forage or fodder, to stabilise land, and to produce biomass for fuel. In the longer-term, the cultivation of horticultural crops and those grown for nutraceuticals or pharmaceuticals is feasible.