New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research abstracts
Dry matter accumulation and chemical content of saltbush (Atriplex
halimus) grown in Mediterranean desert shrublands
Moh’d Khair J. El-Shatnawi
Faculty of Agriculture
Jordan University of Science and Technology
P.O. Box 3030
Irbid 22110, Jordan
email: mkhair@just.edu.jo
Munier Turuk
Faculty of Agriculture
Jordan University of Science and Technology
P.O. Box 3030
Irbid, Jordan
Abstract Saltbush (Atriplex halimus), a shrub
native to Jordan, is an important species used for rangeland reclamation
in Mediterranean desert shrublands. It provides valuable fodder during long
dry seasons and droughts. The objective was to determine dry matter accumulation
and chemical content of leaves and twigs of A. halimus and its value
as a sheep feed source on aridland in Jordan. The seasonal changes of leaf
and twig contents had similar patterns. Leaves and twigs produced higher
amounts of dry matter during the period from June to October and peaked in
August. Crude protein of leaves and twigs reached maximum levels in April
(20.5 and 21.4%, respectively). The protein concentrations decreased to 14%
during the dry period (October-December). Within harvest date, there were
no significant differences between nitrogen-free extract (NFE) content of
leaves and twigs. Leaves and twigs showed maximum concentrations of NFE (48.5
and 47.1%, respectively) during December. Saltbush phosphorus content did
not meet nutritional requirements of ewes, whereas sodium content was high
(2.8-4.4%) and exceeded the maximum amount required by sheep.
Keywords aridland; Atriplex halimus; crude
protein; leaves; Middle East; sodium; twigs
A02011 Received 15 February 2002; accepted 4 June 2002; published 30 September
2002
New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research, 2002, Vol. 45: 139-144
0028-8233/02/4503-0139 $7.00/0 © The Royal Society of New Zealand
2002
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