Shoaib Ismail | International center for biosaline agriculture (original) (raw)

Papers by Shoaib Ismail

Journal of soil and …, 1993

... SCS, Lockford, CA 9523 R. Ahmad is a plant physiologist with the Bios-alinity Laborato y, Uni... more ... SCS, Lockford, CA 9523 R. Ahmad is a plant physiologist with the Bios-alinity Laborato y, University of Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan; RN Raut ... Selenium has four oxida-tion states: selenide (Se-2>, elemental Se (Seo), selenite (Se03-2), and selenate (Se04-2). Selenate is most ...

Pakistan Journal of Botany, Feb 25, 1995

Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, Nov 1, 1993

... SCS, Lockford, CA 9523 R. Ahmad is a plant physiologist with the Bios-alinity Laborato y, Uni... more ... SCS, Lockford, CA 9523 R. Ahmad is a plant physiologist with the Bios-alinity Laborato y, University of Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan; RN Raut ... Selenium has four oxida-tion states: selenide (Se-2>, elemental Se (Seo), selenite (Se03-2), and selenate (Se04-2). Selenate is most ...

Books in soils, plants, and the environment, May 19, 1999

Saline soils are of worldwide occurrence, but their incidence is more severe in arid and semiarid... more Saline soils are of worldwide occurrence, but their incidence is more severe in arid and semiarid regions. Higher evapotranspiration than precipitation in these areas aggravates the situation further. The capillary rise, often of bad-quality water, brings salts to the surface from the deeper horizons, which are not leached down and out of the root zone. In the presence of a shallow water table, the process of salinization of soil surface is further accelerated. In spite of our efforts to counter the menace of salinity, it remains a major threat to agriculture. It is affecting yields on large areas and is creeping into fertile lands at an alarming pace. In most of the developing countries, the ever-increasing population and soil degradation at a rate higher than reclamation make the problem of saline soils even worse. These lands, which are abundant, are not generally suited for most of the field crops. The solution lies in leaching the excess salts out of the rootzone and subsequent drainage. Sinking of tube wells and the installation of tile drains may help, but this is a costly proposition. The persisting demand for conventional agricultural production will continuously recharge the groundwater and subsequent discharge will make the reversal of the situation unlikely at least in the near future. Being a long term problem, soil salinity requires suitable land utilization choices to be made. One option may be the planting of trees and shrubs, many of which can withstand much higher salinities than most of the conventional agricultural crops [1]. The following sections highlight some of the candidate species for salinity and relevant soil

We summarize the predicted effects of flower and fruit adaptive traits on the genetic structure o... more We summarize the predicted effects of flower and fruit adaptive traits on the genetic structure of some annual and perennial species of Asiatic Salsola populations in harsh desert environments. Results show that the Asiatic Salsola complex is an example of evolutionary convergence of ecological, structural, and physiological mechanisms, which are determined genetically. Phenotypic plasticity in the sexual expression of flower organs affects interspecies and intrapopulation genetic structure both for annual and perennial species. Fruit diversity in the form and color of wings, structure of columns, presence, shape and spatial arrangement of the papillous protuberances, numbers of collenchymatous layers, degree of sclerification and parenchymatization determine seed dispersal and plant survival. Availability of pigments, tracheid-like moisture holding cells, and abundance of crystals in the perianth tissues also promote the protection of the embryo from unfavorable desert environments...

Pakistan Journal of Botany, 1987

Tasks for vegetation science, 1994

An overview of the situation in Pakistan is given. There is potential to grow forage crops on sal... more An overview of the situation in Pakistan is given. There is potential to grow forage crops on saline lands and in sandy deserts. This would help to alleviate the current feed gap. Results from cooperative research shows that high levels of biomass production can be achieved with halophytes.

Research Developments in Saline Agriculture, 2019

Freshwater resources are being squeezed all over the world because of shifts in climate patterns,... more Freshwater resources are being squeezed all over the world because of shifts in climate patterns, and a severe shortage of water is the major threat to food security. Most developing countries are overpopulated, and the quality and quantity of food available for these ever-increasing populations are questionable. Wise distribution of freshwater among different stakeholders is a prerequisite, giving priority to domestic use. For agriculture, wastewater of a suitable quality should be used with proper treatment and good management practices. A huge volume of wastewater is being generated, which must be properly managed for use in growing different crops. Similarly, farmers use groundwater as a supplementary source of surface water for irrigation. Unfortunately, most groundwater is brackish because of high salinity and/or sodicity. In this chapter, alternative sources of irrigation water are identified and their compositions are addressed comprehensively. It has been indicated that most alternative water sources are of low quality, and their use in agriculture demands continuous management and monitoring. Different available options are focused on, especially those acceptable to farmers, because resource-poor farmers are mostly concerned with economics. These management choices include alternative irrigation with canal water, conjunctive use of wastewater with good or marginal water, use of different organic and inorganic amendments, etc. Case studies have evaluated economic use of poor-quality water with canal irrigation. This chapter provides insights into opportunities and challenges for effective use of poor-quality water in agriculture.

Environment & Policy, 2020

Halophyte farming seems to be a promising alternative to conventional agriculture under marginal ... more Halophyte farming seems to be a promising alternative to conventional agriculture under marginal environments, since it does not compete with dwindling fresh water and land resources. For this purpose halophytic species need to be domesticated to serve as a “crop” plant. Field evaluation of six Salicornia bigelovii Torr. populations (LA, GA, MI, FL2, SP, FL1) was conducted in 2012–2013 in the United Arab Emirates applying two irrigation treatments: brackish groundwater (20 dSm−1) and seawater (55 dSm−1) to examine their growth performance taking into account 24 plant characteristics, biomass, seed yield parameters, and growth stages attributes. The experimental results indicated that S. bigelovii populations were highly variable for the majority of traits. Irrigation with seawater negatively influenced the agronomic performance of S. bigelovii populations compared to groundwater. SP, MI, and GA populations received higher values for almost all characteristics observed, as compared to LA, FL1, and FL2 populations especially under groundwater treatment. Seawater extended the duration of growth cycle for all Salicornia populations compared to groundwater irrigation. The outcomes clearly indicated that the salinity level had an impact on S. bigelovii populations’ performance and yield potential. It is suggested that screening should be evaluated under both optimum and full-strength saline water to optimize biomass and seed production. The existing genotypes could be further improved through breeding taking into account spike characteristics and days to flowering as revealed by path analysis. Combining suitable germplasm with proper agronomic practices, there is a big potential to develop this halophytic species plantations for economically viable production systems in hot and dry regions.

Halophytes and biosaline agriculture, 1995

18 PAKISTAN'S EXPERIENCE IN THE AGRICULTURAL USE OF HALOPHYTIC SPECIES Rafiq Ahmad and Shoai... more 18 PAKISTAN'S EXPERIENCE IN THE AGRICULTURAL USE OF HALOPHYTIC SPECIES Rafiq Ahmad and Shoaib Ismail Biosaline Research Laboratories Department of Botany, University of Karachi Karachi, Pakistan INTRODUCTION Suitable soil, good quality water and ...

World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology, International Journal of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, 2016

Salinity is a major problem in the irrigated zones of central and southern Iraq. We investigated ... more Salinity is a major problem in the irrigated zones of central and southern Iraq. We investigated biomass production from five salt-tolerant forage species, represented by 15 introduced accessions and 3 local accessions, during two successive summer growing seasons. Species included pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum), sorghum (Sorghum bicolour), guar (Cluster bean; Cyamopsis tetragonoloba), cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) and sesbania (Sesbania aculeata and S. sesban). The research site was located in the Al-Dujaila irrigation project area in Wasit. The soil had a silty clay texture with moderate salinity (ECe 10-20 dS/m). The site was irrigated with water (ECw 1.1 dS/m) from the Tigris River on a 3 to 8-day basis. We hypothesised that there would be variation in biomass production, salt accumulation and crude protein both between and within species. In addition, we thought that the legumes would be less productive than grasses as they tend to be more sensitive to salinity. Over 2 experime...

Journal of Arid Land

Halophytes are suggested as energy crops in arid saline lands. Anaerobic digestion of 7 halophyte... more Halophytes are suggested as energy crops in arid saline lands. Anaerobic digestion of 7 halophytes collected in the Kyzylkum desert (Uzbekistan) were studied in batch-mode tests in mesophilic (35°C) and thermophilic (55°C) conditions with stirring and F/M=0.2. Obtained results showed that halophytic biomass should be considered as a valuable renewable source of biogas. Though high mineral content was detected in the biomass (i.e., Na + , K + , Cl-and SO 4 2-), total biogas yields in results of anaerobic degradation were about 200-400 mL (at 35°C) and 300-500 mL (at 55°C) from 1 gDM (with 60% of methane-gas). Total organic matter and organic carbon (OC) concentrations were determined to investigate plant biomass. Organic matter concentrations were between 736-900 mg VS/gDM. The highest organic carbon content found in biomass of Suaeda paradoxa, Atriplex nitens, Karelinia caspia and conventional grass Cynodon dactylon were 243.9, 337.6, 394 and 396 mg OC/gDM, respectively. Low OC cont...

Pakistan Journal of Botany, 1994

PakJ-Bot., 26(2): 265-282,1994. SCREENING OF MESQUITE (PROSOPIS spp.) FOR BIOMASS PRODUCTION AT B... more PakJ-Bot., 26(2): 265-282,1994. SCREENING OF MESQUITE (PROSOPIS spp.) FOR BIOMASS PRODUCTION AT BARREN SANDY AREAS USING HIGHLY SALINE WATER FOR IRRIGATION RAFIQ AHMAD, SHOAIB ISMAIL, M. MOINUDDIN AND TARANA SHAHEEN Biosaline ...

Ecophysiology, Abiotic Stress Responses and Utilization of Halophytes

Increase in salinity levels poses a threat to many hot and arid farming areas in the Middle East ... more Increase in salinity levels poses a threat to many hot and arid farming areas in the Middle East and North Africa region. In some cases, farmers install desalination units to produce freshwater to irrigate high-value crops. However, the produced reject brine is an environmental hazard since it is disposed off in the soil creating a vicious circle of salinity aggravation. The current work focuses on the financial aspect of using the reject brine, generated from reverse osmosis (RO) unit, to grow fish (Sparidentex hasta, sobaity sea bream) and halophytic species (Salicornia bigelovii, Distichlis spicata, and Sporobolus virginicus) for various uses in an integrated farming approach. Different water treatments (RO brine, RO brine mixed with groundwater, aquabrine, and aquabrine mixed with groundwater) were tested to evaluate their impact on halophytes’ growth and production. Irrigating with RO brine resulted in positive net returns for S. bigelovii, directed for fresh tips’ production, as well as for the grasses D. spicata and S. virginicus. However, more returns were obtained when RO brine passed through the aquaculture system where it got enriched with more nutrients due to fish waste. Irrigation with brine from the aquaculture system tripled S. bigelovii production (23.7 t/ha) and increased returns per ha of approximately US 76,000overirrigatingwithRObrinedirectly,comparedtotheUS76,000 over irrigating with RO brine directly, compared to the US 76,000overirrigatingwithRObrinedirectly,comparedtotheUS5571 and the US $1884 for D. spicata and S. virginicus, respectively. Halophytic crops constitute one of the very few sustainable options to improve food and nutrition security in salt-affected regions, contributing in lands’ rehabilitation and enhancing farming livelihood income. Halophytes also constitute an imperative component to consider for nutrient-dense production systems such as integrated agri-aquaculture systems (IAAS) implemented in desert environments, and the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats were explored through a SWOT analysis.

Phytoremediation, the use of plants to extract, sequester, and/or detoxify pollutants through bio... more Phytoremediation, the use of plants to extract, sequester, and/or detoxify pollutants through biological processes is an effective, in situ, non-intrusive, low-cost, ecologically friendly, socially accepted technology to remediate polluted soils. Crystalline to fibrillar wax formations, appressed to surfaces of guard cells appear to originate from guard cells in the vicinity of the stomatal aperture. Formations may arise from evaporation of plant water at the interface between stomatal antechambers and substomatal cavities, leaving salt ions behind to precipitate. Many questions remain unanswered regarding their ecological and physiological significance as well as their occurrence and prevalence in both time and space. Such functions would be of considerable adaptive value in the light of their possible relationships to the impact of pollutants. An attempt has been made here to address these questions by analysing the morphology of salt glands and intracellular salt crystals using S...

Ecophysiology, Abiotic Stress Responses and Utilization of Halophytes

Global population growth is putting severe pressure on agricultural production, since food suppli... more Global population growth is putting severe pressure on agricultural production, since food supplies need to increase by 50–70% to meet expected future demands. Arable land that is used to grow crops for food is in short supply, and freshwater is being depleted. One way to increase production is to utilize marginal land and water resources such as coastal desert areas and seawater. Aquaculture effluents enriched in nutrients can be utilized to irrigate highly salt-tolerant plants such as halophytes which constitute the best candidates for the development of biosaline agriculture. Among the halophytic crops that have high potential to be grown with seawater and can be economically viable are mangroves and Salicornia species. In particular, Salicornia bigelovii (dwarf glasswort) is a halophyte that grows in salty water and can be utilized in multiple ways. Since 2015, a seawater-based system has been implemented in a coastal desert area in Umm Al Quwain in the United Arab Emirates, exploring the growth potential of four high-yielding S. bigelovii genotypes using four saline water treatments (seawater; canal water which is the drainage water coming from a marine research station that flows into a mangrove area; and aquaculture effluents from tilapia and sherry farming) and two types of irrigation system: bubblers and open pipes. A multidisciplinary study was conducted to examine several soil and water attributes, various growth parameters of S. bigelovii genotypes, the seed oil content, and the profitability of the system. Results showed that by selecting the suitable S. bigelovii germplasm combined with appropriate water and soil management practices, proper growth of salicornia plantation could be achieved in a coastal desert ecosystem. However, continuous exploration of the long-term environmental impact of implementing saline water resources and improvement of the economic sustainability of such biosaline production systems are needed.

Tasks for vegetation science, 2002

Effect of salt stress on Rhizobium and growth of Acacia ampliceps DH Roomi1, Rafiq Ahmad1, S. Ism... more Effect of salt stress on Rhizobium and growth of Acacia ampliceps DH Roomi1, Rafiq Ahmad1, S. Ismail and A. GhafTar1 'Biosalme Research Laboratories, Department of Botany, University of Karachi, Karachi. Pakistan. 2 Present address: International Center ...

Plant Science, 1992

The study was undertaken to determine the possible role of silicon (Si(OH) 4 ) in salt tolerance ... more The study was undertaken to determine the possible role of silicon (Si(OH) 4 ) in salt tolerance of wheat (Triticum aestivum) at germination and vegetative/reproductive growth stages. Germination percentage and growth decreased with increasing NaCl concentration in the absence of ...

Journal of soil and …, 1993

... SCS, Lockford, CA 9523 R. Ahmad is a plant physiologist with the Bios-alinity Laborato y, Uni... more ... SCS, Lockford, CA 9523 R. Ahmad is a plant physiologist with the Bios-alinity Laborato y, University of Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan; RN Raut ... Selenium has four oxida-tion states: selenide (Se-2>, elemental Se (Seo), selenite (Se03-2), and selenate (Se04-2). Selenate is most ...

Pakistan Journal of Botany, Feb 25, 1995

Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, Nov 1, 1993

... SCS, Lockford, CA 9523 R. Ahmad is a plant physiologist with the Bios-alinity Laborato y, Uni... more ... SCS, Lockford, CA 9523 R. Ahmad is a plant physiologist with the Bios-alinity Laborato y, University of Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan; RN Raut ... Selenium has four oxida-tion states: selenide (Se-2>, elemental Se (Seo), selenite (Se03-2), and selenate (Se04-2). Selenate is most ...

Books in soils, plants, and the environment, May 19, 1999

Saline soils are of worldwide occurrence, but their incidence is more severe in arid and semiarid... more Saline soils are of worldwide occurrence, but their incidence is more severe in arid and semiarid regions. Higher evapotranspiration than precipitation in these areas aggravates the situation further. The capillary rise, often of bad-quality water, brings salts to the surface from the deeper horizons, which are not leached down and out of the root zone. In the presence of a shallow water table, the process of salinization of soil surface is further accelerated. In spite of our efforts to counter the menace of salinity, it remains a major threat to agriculture. It is affecting yields on large areas and is creeping into fertile lands at an alarming pace. In most of the developing countries, the ever-increasing population and soil degradation at a rate higher than reclamation make the problem of saline soils even worse. These lands, which are abundant, are not generally suited for most of the field crops. The solution lies in leaching the excess salts out of the rootzone and subsequent drainage. Sinking of tube wells and the installation of tile drains may help, but this is a costly proposition. The persisting demand for conventional agricultural production will continuously recharge the groundwater and subsequent discharge will make the reversal of the situation unlikely at least in the near future. Being a long term problem, soil salinity requires suitable land utilization choices to be made. One option may be the planting of trees and shrubs, many of which can withstand much higher salinities than most of the conventional agricultural crops [1]. The following sections highlight some of the candidate species for salinity and relevant soil

We summarize the predicted effects of flower and fruit adaptive traits on the genetic structure o... more We summarize the predicted effects of flower and fruit adaptive traits on the genetic structure of some annual and perennial species of Asiatic Salsola populations in harsh desert environments. Results show that the Asiatic Salsola complex is an example of evolutionary convergence of ecological, structural, and physiological mechanisms, which are determined genetically. Phenotypic plasticity in the sexual expression of flower organs affects interspecies and intrapopulation genetic structure both for annual and perennial species. Fruit diversity in the form and color of wings, structure of columns, presence, shape and spatial arrangement of the papillous protuberances, numbers of collenchymatous layers, degree of sclerification and parenchymatization determine seed dispersal and plant survival. Availability of pigments, tracheid-like moisture holding cells, and abundance of crystals in the perianth tissues also promote the protection of the embryo from unfavorable desert environments...

Pakistan Journal of Botany, 1987

Tasks for vegetation science, 1994

An overview of the situation in Pakistan is given. There is potential to grow forage crops on sal... more An overview of the situation in Pakistan is given. There is potential to grow forage crops on saline lands and in sandy deserts. This would help to alleviate the current feed gap. Results from cooperative research shows that high levels of biomass production can be achieved with halophytes.

Research Developments in Saline Agriculture, 2019

Freshwater resources are being squeezed all over the world because of shifts in climate patterns,... more Freshwater resources are being squeezed all over the world because of shifts in climate patterns, and a severe shortage of water is the major threat to food security. Most developing countries are overpopulated, and the quality and quantity of food available for these ever-increasing populations are questionable. Wise distribution of freshwater among different stakeholders is a prerequisite, giving priority to domestic use. For agriculture, wastewater of a suitable quality should be used with proper treatment and good management practices. A huge volume of wastewater is being generated, which must be properly managed for use in growing different crops. Similarly, farmers use groundwater as a supplementary source of surface water for irrigation. Unfortunately, most groundwater is brackish because of high salinity and/or sodicity. In this chapter, alternative sources of irrigation water are identified and their compositions are addressed comprehensively. It has been indicated that most alternative water sources are of low quality, and their use in agriculture demands continuous management and monitoring. Different available options are focused on, especially those acceptable to farmers, because resource-poor farmers are mostly concerned with economics. These management choices include alternative irrigation with canal water, conjunctive use of wastewater with good or marginal water, use of different organic and inorganic amendments, etc. Case studies have evaluated economic use of poor-quality water with canal irrigation. This chapter provides insights into opportunities and challenges for effective use of poor-quality water in agriculture.

Environment & Policy, 2020

Halophyte farming seems to be a promising alternative to conventional agriculture under marginal ... more Halophyte farming seems to be a promising alternative to conventional agriculture under marginal environments, since it does not compete with dwindling fresh water and land resources. For this purpose halophytic species need to be domesticated to serve as a “crop” plant. Field evaluation of six Salicornia bigelovii Torr. populations (LA, GA, MI, FL2, SP, FL1) was conducted in 2012–2013 in the United Arab Emirates applying two irrigation treatments: brackish groundwater (20 dSm−1) and seawater (55 dSm−1) to examine their growth performance taking into account 24 plant characteristics, biomass, seed yield parameters, and growth stages attributes. The experimental results indicated that S. bigelovii populations were highly variable for the majority of traits. Irrigation with seawater negatively influenced the agronomic performance of S. bigelovii populations compared to groundwater. SP, MI, and GA populations received higher values for almost all characteristics observed, as compared to LA, FL1, and FL2 populations especially under groundwater treatment. Seawater extended the duration of growth cycle for all Salicornia populations compared to groundwater irrigation. The outcomes clearly indicated that the salinity level had an impact on S. bigelovii populations’ performance and yield potential. It is suggested that screening should be evaluated under both optimum and full-strength saline water to optimize biomass and seed production. The existing genotypes could be further improved through breeding taking into account spike characteristics and days to flowering as revealed by path analysis. Combining suitable germplasm with proper agronomic practices, there is a big potential to develop this halophytic species plantations for economically viable production systems in hot and dry regions.

Halophytes and biosaline agriculture, 1995

18 PAKISTAN'S EXPERIENCE IN THE AGRICULTURAL USE OF HALOPHYTIC SPECIES Rafiq Ahmad and Shoai... more 18 PAKISTAN'S EXPERIENCE IN THE AGRICULTURAL USE OF HALOPHYTIC SPECIES Rafiq Ahmad and Shoaib Ismail Biosaline Research Laboratories Department of Botany, University of Karachi Karachi, Pakistan INTRODUCTION Suitable soil, good quality water and ...

World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology, International Journal of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, 2016

Salinity is a major problem in the irrigated zones of central and southern Iraq. We investigated ... more Salinity is a major problem in the irrigated zones of central and southern Iraq. We investigated biomass production from five salt-tolerant forage species, represented by 15 introduced accessions and 3 local accessions, during two successive summer growing seasons. Species included pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum), sorghum (Sorghum bicolour), guar (Cluster bean; Cyamopsis tetragonoloba), cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) and sesbania (Sesbania aculeata and S. sesban). The research site was located in the Al-Dujaila irrigation project area in Wasit. The soil had a silty clay texture with moderate salinity (ECe 10-20 dS/m). The site was irrigated with water (ECw 1.1 dS/m) from the Tigris River on a 3 to 8-day basis. We hypothesised that there would be variation in biomass production, salt accumulation and crude protein both between and within species. In addition, we thought that the legumes would be less productive than grasses as they tend to be more sensitive to salinity. Over 2 experime...

Journal of Arid Land

Halophytes are suggested as energy crops in arid saline lands. Anaerobic digestion of 7 halophyte... more Halophytes are suggested as energy crops in arid saline lands. Anaerobic digestion of 7 halophytes collected in the Kyzylkum desert (Uzbekistan) were studied in batch-mode tests in mesophilic (35°C) and thermophilic (55°C) conditions with stirring and F/M=0.2. Obtained results showed that halophytic biomass should be considered as a valuable renewable source of biogas. Though high mineral content was detected in the biomass (i.e., Na + , K + , Cl-and SO 4 2-), total biogas yields in results of anaerobic degradation were about 200-400 mL (at 35°C) and 300-500 mL (at 55°C) from 1 gDM (with 60% of methane-gas). Total organic matter and organic carbon (OC) concentrations were determined to investigate plant biomass. Organic matter concentrations were between 736-900 mg VS/gDM. The highest organic carbon content found in biomass of Suaeda paradoxa, Atriplex nitens, Karelinia caspia and conventional grass Cynodon dactylon were 243.9, 337.6, 394 and 396 mg OC/gDM, respectively. Low OC cont...

Pakistan Journal of Botany, 1994

PakJ-Bot., 26(2): 265-282,1994. SCREENING OF MESQUITE (PROSOPIS spp.) FOR BIOMASS PRODUCTION AT B... more PakJ-Bot., 26(2): 265-282,1994. SCREENING OF MESQUITE (PROSOPIS spp.) FOR BIOMASS PRODUCTION AT BARREN SANDY AREAS USING HIGHLY SALINE WATER FOR IRRIGATION RAFIQ AHMAD, SHOAIB ISMAIL, M. MOINUDDIN AND TARANA SHAHEEN Biosaline ...

Ecophysiology, Abiotic Stress Responses and Utilization of Halophytes

Increase in salinity levels poses a threat to many hot and arid farming areas in the Middle East ... more Increase in salinity levels poses a threat to many hot and arid farming areas in the Middle East and North Africa region. In some cases, farmers install desalination units to produce freshwater to irrigate high-value crops. However, the produced reject brine is an environmental hazard since it is disposed off in the soil creating a vicious circle of salinity aggravation. The current work focuses on the financial aspect of using the reject brine, generated from reverse osmosis (RO) unit, to grow fish (Sparidentex hasta, sobaity sea bream) and halophytic species (Salicornia bigelovii, Distichlis spicata, and Sporobolus virginicus) for various uses in an integrated farming approach. Different water treatments (RO brine, RO brine mixed with groundwater, aquabrine, and aquabrine mixed with groundwater) were tested to evaluate their impact on halophytes’ growth and production. Irrigating with RO brine resulted in positive net returns for S. bigelovii, directed for fresh tips’ production, as well as for the grasses D. spicata and S. virginicus. However, more returns were obtained when RO brine passed through the aquaculture system where it got enriched with more nutrients due to fish waste. Irrigation with brine from the aquaculture system tripled S. bigelovii production (23.7 t/ha) and increased returns per ha of approximately US 76,000overirrigatingwithRObrinedirectly,comparedtotheUS76,000 over irrigating with RO brine directly, compared to the US 76,000overirrigatingwithRObrinedirectly,comparedtotheUS5571 and the US $1884 for D. spicata and S. virginicus, respectively. Halophytic crops constitute one of the very few sustainable options to improve food and nutrition security in salt-affected regions, contributing in lands’ rehabilitation and enhancing farming livelihood income. Halophytes also constitute an imperative component to consider for nutrient-dense production systems such as integrated agri-aquaculture systems (IAAS) implemented in desert environments, and the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats were explored through a SWOT analysis.

Phytoremediation, the use of plants to extract, sequester, and/or detoxify pollutants through bio... more Phytoremediation, the use of plants to extract, sequester, and/or detoxify pollutants through biological processes is an effective, in situ, non-intrusive, low-cost, ecologically friendly, socially accepted technology to remediate polluted soils. Crystalline to fibrillar wax formations, appressed to surfaces of guard cells appear to originate from guard cells in the vicinity of the stomatal aperture. Formations may arise from evaporation of plant water at the interface between stomatal antechambers and substomatal cavities, leaving salt ions behind to precipitate. Many questions remain unanswered regarding their ecological and physiological significance as well as their occurrence and prevalence in both time and space. Such functions would be of considerable adaptive value in the light of their possible relationships to the impact of pollutants. An attempt has been made here to address these questions by analysing the morphology of salt glands and intracellular salt crystals using S...

Ecophysiology, Abiotic Stress Responses and Utilization of Halophytes

Global population growth is putting severe pressure on agricultural production, since food suppli... more Global population growth is putting severe pressure on agricultural production, since food supplies need to increase by 50–70% to meet expected future demands. Arable land that is used to grow crops for food is in short supply, and freshwater is being depleted. One way to increase production is to utilize marginal land and water resources such as coastal desert areas and seawater. Aquaculture effluents enriched in nutrients can be utilized to irrigate highly salt-tolerant plants such as halophytes which constitute the best candidates for the development of biosaline agriculture. Among the halophytic crops that have high potential to be grown with seawater and can be economically viable are mangroves and Salicornia species. In particular, Salicornia bigelovii (dwarf glasswort) is a halophyte that grows in salty water and can be utilized in multiple ways. Since 2015, a seawater-based system has been implemented in a coastal desert area in Umm Al Quwain in the United Arab Emirates, exploring the growth potential of four high-yielding S. bigelovii genotypes using four saline water treatments (seawater; canal water which is the drainage water coming from a marine research station that flows into a mangrove area; and aquaculture effluents from tilapia and sherry farming) and two types of irrigation system: bubblers and open pipes. A multidisciplinary study was conducted to examine several soil and water attributes, various growth parameters of S. bigelovii genotypes, the seed oil content, and the profitability of the system. Results showed that by selecting the suitable S. bigelovii germplasm combined with appropriate water and soil management practices, proper growth of salicornia plantation could be achieved in a coastal desert ecosystem. However, continuous exploration of the long-term environmental impact of implementing saline water resources and improvement of the economic sustainability of such biosaline production systems are needed.

Tasks for vegetation science, 2002

Effect of salt stress on Rhizobium and growth of Acacia ampliceps DH Roomi1, Rafiq Ahmad1, S. Ism... more Effect of salt stress on Rhizobium and growth of Acacia ampliceps DH Roomi1, Rafiq Ahmad1, S. Ismail and A. GhafTar1 'Biosalme Research Laboratories, Department of Botany, University of Karachi, Karachi. Pakistan. 2 Present address: International Center ...

Plant Science, 1992

The study was undertaken to determine the possible role of silicon (Si(OH) 4 ) in salt tolerance ... more The study was undertaken to determine the possible role of silicon (Si(OH) 4 ) in salt tolerance of wheat (Triticum aestivum) at germination and vegetative/reproductive growth stages. Germination percentage and growth decreased with increasing NaCl concentration in the absence of ...