Feeding and Nutritional Values of Halophytes to Ruminants

During the prolonged dry periods in arid and semi-arid areas, the average annual production of ruminant animals would decrease dramatically due to several reasons, which are the scarcity and insufficiency of feeds. It was reported that the improvement of the nutritional status of desert grazing livestock (sheep, camels, and goats) would lead to the amelioration of their productivity. This dictates the necessity of utilizing marginal resources like halophytes. Some halophytes, on the other hand, have been reported to have nutritional value to ruminants and are therefore worth feeding to some extent. This chapter discusses the abundance of halophyte production, the quality of halophytes as an animal feed with special reference to palatability and animal preference for halophytes, halophytic nutrient supply, and utilization by animals, ash, and mineral contents of halophytes, including factors affecting their contents in halophytes, protein and amino acid contents of halophytes (feeding and nutritive value of halophytic proteins), feeding and nutritive value of halophytic energy, and overall feeding value of halophytes to animals.