Effect of Habitat and Season on the Crude Protein Content of Some Mediterranean Desert Species, Egypt PDF

Keywords

crude protein, desert species, Egypt

Abstract

The study demonstrates spatial and temporal variations in the crude protein content in the organs of three desert species of different growth forms in five habitats in the northwestern desert of Egypt. The crude protein content in the annual grass Cutandia dichotoma is higher than that in the perennial herb Plantago albicans and the perennial subshrub Helianthemum lippii. The ranges of variations in the crude protein content in the selected species are comparable to those of the important range species in other arid regions. The contents are higher than in some cultivated fodder crops and foodstuffs. The contents in the photosynthetic organs of the two perennial species are highest during the early vegetative stage and are lowest during the dormant stage. The crude protein content in the selected species exhibits notable ranges of variation with habitat. In Helianthemum lippii, the content increases from 4.13% to 8.75% in old branches during summer as the total soluble salts increases from 0.36 mmhos/cm in the coastal dunes to 1.46 mmhos/cm in the transitional area between the ridge and the saline depression. It also increases from 7.05% to 8.31% in leaves and from 3.06% to 5.06% in roots as the total soluble salts increased from the first to the second habitat. An opposite trend is exhibited by the content of crude protein in Plantago albicans and Cutandia dichotoma.