MORPHOLOGICAL AND MOLECULAR GENETIC CHARACTERIZATION OF SALICORNIA LIVE IN EGYPT

Abstract

The world suffers from many problems of providing safe and healthy food, especially with the annual increase in population. One of the most important factors determining production is the availability of water for agriculture. Egypt is now at a critical stage, especially with the building of the (Renaissance Dam/ Ethiopia) and the decrease of freshwater rates to the poverty line which makes it a necessity to find substitutions to provide water. Salicornia is a salt plant that can rely on saltwater irrigation. Consideration has been given to studying and describing the morphological shape of this plant and collecting it from the northern coasts of the Arab Republic of Egypt, where it exists. It was gathered from the coasts of the White Sea next to Dumyat and Port Said. Salicornia and Sarcocornia have the advantage of growing on saltwater with a total green content and the animal can be fed for its high nutritional value. With collecting samples, and vegetative characterization depending on the shape of the leaves, the size of the total vegetable, the shape of the leg, the leaves and their colour. It was found to follow two species, Salicornia, including Salicornia herbacea and Salicornia europaea, and Sarcocornia, including Sarcocornia fruticosa and Sarcocornia perennis. It’s found two shapes, these samples were collected near Dumyat and the other near Port Said. After collecting and characterizing these samples and determining the nutritional value and its quality, the content of protein, carbohydrates, lipids and ash was estimated. The Salicornia content isolated from the beach coast near Dumyat was found to be protein content was 2.75 grams per 100 grams, its total lipid content was 0.63 grams per 100 grams, its total carbohydrate and ash content was 3.4 and 4.62 grams per 100 grams, respectively, while the Sarcocornia of the three types was the lowest type, fruticosa, in its protein content, and it was 2.44 grams per 100 grams. Total lipids in fruticosa are 0.62 and in the two types 0.75 grams per 100 grams and in total carbohydrates and ash 1.3, 1.4 and 1.49 grams per 100 grams in fruticosa, europaea and herbacea, respectively.