Research has now established the benefits of sea water plants
Exploiting sea water for agriculture is
a recent phenomenon that has
gained importance in the face of rising population and dwindling water
resources. Researchers screening saltwater plants from deserts and saline
and alkaline soils scattered around
the globe have stumbled on to a plant
which is proving beneficial to humans.
Salicornia species is a plant thriving on saline water collected from the
coastlines of the US. It possesses vast
potential for forage grains and oilseeds, besides bearing beneficial byproducts for rural communities and
industry. Research has also led to the
development of a Salicornia variety
that is well suited to tough coastal
conditions in the Middle East and
semi-arid areas (Ceres, Vo127, No 2).
Researchers at the University 0f
Arizona, US and the Archer Daniels
Midland Company, carried out tests
of the Salicornia oil, extracted from
its seeds. The results indicate that the
oil is an excellent quality vegetable
oil that could safely be used in food
and cosmetics.
The biomass left after oil-extrat:-
tion is 42 per cent protein. About 65.
70 per cent of the salt from the
residues can be removed by washing
it in seawater, rendering it edible for
livestock. Fertilisers are also not
needed for growing the plant as seawater contains sufficient nutrients.
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