Available online xxxKeywords: Ecology Halophyte Mesembryanthemum crystallinum Relative growth rate Nile delta Conservation a b s t r a c t Ice plant (Mesembryanthemum crystallinum L.) is an important stress-tolerant halophyte distributed in saline areas along the Mediterranean coast of the Nile delta, Egypt. Plant communities dominated by M. crystallinum were studied in different habitats. The application of TWINSPAN classification based on 77 species recorded in 50 stands, led to the recognition of four vegetative groups, which are categorized under three communities. The first is salt marsh community co-dominated by M. crystallinum and Senecio glaucus L. The second is sand dune community dominated by Hordium murinum L. The third is sand flat community dominated by M. crystallinum. Electrical conductivity (EC), sodium ion concentration, Sodium Absorption Ratio (SAR) and sand fraction are the main controlling factors in the distribution of the different vegetative community. The distribution of M. crystallinum community was influenced by calcium carbonate, pH, E.C. and calcium.Various growth parameters including root, shoot and total fresh weight, diameter, leaf area, number of flowers and fruits were measured at two-week interval in the three habitats (sand dune, sand flat and salt marsh). The sand dune and salt marsh habitats, which are threatened by anthropogenic activities, were optimizing growth, flowering and fruiting of M. crystallinum.
People rely on the synthetic chemical pesticides in most of the agricultural practices, which have a serious problem on human health and ecosystem. Essential oil (EO), derived from wild plants, offers a new opportunity to explore eco‐friendly green biocides. This study aimed to characterize the chemical constituents of EO from Egyptian ecospecies of Cleome droserifolia (Forssk.) Delile and evaluate its antioxidant and allelopathic potential. The EO was extracted from aerial parts by hydrodistillation and analyzed by GC/MS. To assess the allelopathic potential, EO concentrations from 50 to 200 μL L−1 were tested on Trifolium repens and three weeds. Antioxidant activity was determined using DPPH. Hydrodistillation yielded 0.64 % of dark yellow oil, which comprises 35 compounds, in which sesquiterpene was a major class and represented by 61.97 % of the total essential oil. Moreover, the dominant sesquiterpenes are cis‐nerolidol, α‐cadinol, δ‐cadinene, and γ‐muurolene. The speed of germination index, shoot and root length of clover and weeds were reduced in a concentration‐dependent manner. The IC50 values of C. droserifolia EO on germination of T. repens, Cuscuta trifolii, Melilotus indicus, and Chenopodium murale were 181.6, 183.5, 159.0, and 157.5 μL L−1, respectively. From the obtained data, we concluded that C. droserifolia EO could provide a hope to produce environment‐friendly bioherbicide as well as a natural resource of antioxidants.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.