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Part of the book series: Tasks for vegetation science ((TAVS,volume 27))

Abstract

Halophytes have been evaluated as potential crops for direct seawater or brackish water irrigation. The world areas available for halophyte agriculture include portions of coastal deserts and inland salt deserts. The usable area for halophyte culture is approximately 1.3 million km2, comparable to the area of conventional irrigation in the world. Halophytes grown on seawater in multi-year field trials in a coastal desert environment have shown levels of biomass and seed production comparable to conventional crops. Useful products from halophyte crops include animal fodder, grains and oilseeds. However, the utilization of halophytes is hampered at present by the need to modify or adapt standard agronomic practices.

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© 1993 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

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Glenn, E.P., Watson, M.C. (1993). Halophyte crops for direct salt water irrigation. In: Lieth, H., Al Masoom, A.A. (eds) Towards the rational use of high salinity tolerant plants. Tasks for vegetation science, vol 27. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-1858-3_40

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-1858-3_40

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-4821-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-011-1858-3

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