ABSTRACT
The arid regions are classifi ed as the poorest in the world with regard to the availability of renewable fresh water resources. Animal production provides the main source of income for many in the region. Animal production systems in such countries are based to a large extent on natural vegetation as the principal animal feed resource. Large areas of rangeland, support salt and/or drought tolerant plant species, and many are severely degraded, mainly due to human and environmental factors (Gihad and El Shaer 1994). The future prosperity of feed resources in countries located in these areas relies on the economically feasible use of marginal and long-neglected resources such as halophytic plants. Halophytes have the potential as a good animal feed resource (El Shaer 2010). Feeding halophytes particularly to camels is a feasible solution to minimize the problem of feed shortage in arid and semi-arid regions. Halophytes include several nutritious and palatable fodder shrubs and salt tolerant grasses and legumes (El Shaer 1995).
