Exploring the potential forage quality of some halophytic species at different phenological stages

• Published in: BMC plant biology Vol. 25; no. 1; pp. 794 - 13
• Main Authors: Shahi, Maryam, Azarnivand, Hossein, Esfahan, Ehsan Zandi, Jafari, Mohammad
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London BioMed Central 01.07.2025; BioMed Central Ltd; BMC
• Subjects: Agricultural research; Agriculture; Atriplex; Atriplex - chemistry; Atriplex - growth & development; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Carbohydrates; Carbon sequestration; Cell walls; Chemical properties; Chenopodiaceae - growth & development; Climate change; Data analysis; Digestibility; Dry matter; Dust; Farm produce; Flowering; Flowers & plants; Forage; Forage plants; Growth stage; Halophytes; Hemicellulose; Iran; Leaves; Life Sciences; Natural resources; Phenology; Plant Sciences; Plant species; Plants (botany); Production processes; Protein; Proteins; Quality; Salinity; Salt-Tolerant Plants - chemistry; Salt-Tolerant Plants - growth & development; Salt-Tolerant Plants - physiology; Sampling; Soil - chemistry; Soil erosion; Soil sampling; Species; Statistical analysis; Stems; Suaeda; Tamaricaceae - chemistry; Tamaricaceae - growth & development; Tamarix; Tree Biology; Variance analysis; Water chemistry; Iran; Natural resources; Forage; Protein; Salinity
• ISSN: 1471-2229; 1471-2229
• DOI: 10.1186/s12870-025-06735-z

Background One effective way to address fine dust, a significant contributor to soil erosion, is by cultivating plants with high forage quality. Materials and methods The study area is located in Khuzestan province, Iran. All samples were collected in spring 2023 (April 20–30). Plant species, including Atriplex leucoclada , Suaeda fruticosa , Tamarix passerinoides , and Seidlitzia rosmarinus , were sampled during three growth stages: vegetative growth, flowering, and seeding. The data analysis involved sample collection, soil sampling, laboratory measurements, and statistical analysis using ANOVA and Duncan’s test to compare the forage quality of different species collected from various habitats. Results This study aimed to evaluate the forage quality of four halophytic species at different phenological stages. Sampling was conducted using plots with three replications during three growth stages: vegetative, flowering, and seeding. The data were analyzed as a factorial experiment based on a completely randomized design, with species ( Atriplex leucoclada , Suaeda fruticosa , Tamarix passerinoides , and Seidlitzia rosmarinus ), growth stage, and plant organs (leaves and stems) as the factors. The highest crude protein content was found in S. fruticosa (14.4%), while S. rosmarinus exhibited the highest level of water-soluble carbohydrates (12.85%). In contrast, A. leucoclada and T. passerinoides showed the greatest dry matter digestibility and metabolic effects. The analysis revealed that the stems contained higher levels of nitrogen, crude protein, ash, water-soluble carbohydrates, neutral detergent-soluble fibers, and cell wall components lacking hemicellulose compared to the leaves. However, the leaves exhibited greater dry matter digestibility and had more significant metabolic effects than the stems. Conclusions Overall, all four species studied demonstrated good forage quality due to their high protein content. Moreover, S. rosmarinus emerged as a superior species for foraging, while A. leucoclada and T. passerinoides were notable for their digestibility percentage and metabolic effects. S. rosmarinus may be a promising candidate for future studies aimed at mitigating fine dust.