Edible Halophytes and Halo-Tolerant Species in Apulia Region (Southeastern Italy): Biogeography, Traditional Food Use and Potential Sustainable Crops

Overview

Journal Plants (Basel)

Date 2023 Feb 11

PMID 36771632

Authors

Rita Accogli

Valeria Tomaselli

Paolo Direnzo

Enrico Vito Perrino

Giuseppe Albanese

Marcella Urbano

Gaetano Laghetti

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The Mediterranean basin is rich in wild edible species which have been used for food and medicinal purposes by humans throughout the centuries. Many of these species can be found near coastal areas and usually grow under saline conditions, while others can adapt in various harsh conditions including high salinity. Many of these species have a long history of gathering from the wild as a source of food. The aim of this contribution is an overview on the most important halophyte species ( sp. pl., (Moric.) Piirainen & G. Kadereit, Fourr., Scop., L., (L.) Roth., (Moench) Garcke subsp. (Colla) Soldano & F. Conti, Guss., L. subsp. (L.) Arcang., L.) that traditionally have been gathered by rural communities in southern Italy, with special interest on their ecology and distribution, traditional uses, medicinal properties, marketing and early attempts of cultivation. It is worth noting that these species have an attractive new cash crop for marsh marginal lands.

Citing Articles

Distribution of Tunisian beet wild relatives ( sp.) according to morphological characteristics and eco-geographical origin.

Ben Mahmoud K, Mezghani N, Ouakrim Y, Mezghani N, Jemai N, Jemmali A Heliyon. 2025; 11(2):e41773.

PMID: 39877610 PMC: 11773021. DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2025.e41773.

Stachys italica Mill.: synecology, functional compounds and potential use of an Italian endemic taxon.

Perrino E, Wagensommer R, Mezzapesa G, Trani A Planta. 2024; 260(6):138.

PMID: 39545970 DOI: 10.1007/s00425-024-04571-3.

Musa species in mainland Southeast Asia: From wild to domesticate.

Jenny C, Sachter-Smith G, Breton C, Rivallan R, Jacquemoud-Collet J, Dubois C PLoS One. 2024; 19(10):e0307592.

PMID: 39356650 PMC: 11446428. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0307592.

Ecophysiological and nutritional characterisation of two morphotypes of subsp. Scop. from Puglia region, Southern Italy.

Conversa G, Botticella L, Lazzizera C, Bonasia A, Elia A Front Plant Sci. 2024; 15:1397852.

PMID: 38947950 PMC: 11211591. DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1397852.

Ecology, genetic diversity, and population structure among commercial varieties and local landraces of spp. grown in northeastern states of India.

Verma V, Pandey A, Thirugnanavel A, Rymbai H, Dutta N, Kumar A Front Plant Sci. 2024; 15:1379637.

PMID: 38638355 PMC: 11024323. DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1379637.

References

Pacwa-Plociniczak M, Plociniczak T, Yu D, Kurola J, Sinkkonen A, Piotrowska-Seget Z . Effect of and Heavy Metal Pollution on Soil Microbial Diversity in Long-Term Contaminated Soil. Water Air Soil Pollut. 2018; 229(1):13. PMC: 5754377. DOI: 10.1007/s11270-017-3655-3. View

Ksouri R, Megdiche W, Debez A, Falleh H, Grignon C, Abdelly C . Salinity effects on polyphenol content and antioxidant activities in leaves of the halophyte Cakile maritima. Plant Physiol Biochem. 2007; 45(3-4):244-9. DOI: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2007.02.001. View

Navarro-Torre S, Mateos-Naranjo E, Caviedes M, Pajuelo E, Rodriguez-Llorente I . Isolation of plant-growth-promoting and metal-resistant cultivable bacteria from Arthrocnemum macrostachyum in the Odiel marshes with potential use in phytoremediation. Mar Pollut Bull. 2016; 110(1):133-142. DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2016.06.070. View

Perrino E, Valerio F, Jallali S, Trani A, Mezzapesa G . Ecological and Biological Properties of Ten. and Ten.: Two Wild Officinal Species of Conservation Concern in Apulia (Italy). A Preliminary Survey. Plants (Basel). 2021; 10(9). PMC: 8471076. DOI: 10.3390/plants10091952. View

Castaneda-Loaiza V, Oliveira M, Santos T, Schuler L, Lima A, Gama F . Wild vs cultivated halophytes: Nutritional and functional differences. Food Chem. 2020; 333:127536. DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2020.127536. View

Goldman I, Janick J . Evolution of Root Morphology in Table Beet: Historical and Iconographic. Front Plant Sci. 2021; 12:689926. PMC: 8384405. DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.689926. View

Limongelli F, Crupi P, Clodoveo M, Corbo F, Muraglia M . Overview of the Polyphenols in Salicornia: From Recovery to Health-Promoting Effect. Molecules. 2022; 27(22). PMC: 9696959. DOI: 10.3390/molecules27227954. View

Jallali I, Zaouali Y, Missaoui I, Smeoui A, Abdelly C, Ksouri R . Variability of antioxidant and antibacterial effects of essential oils and acetonic extracts of two edible halophytes: Crithmum maritimum L. and Inula crithmoїdes L. Food Chem. 2013; 145:1031-8. DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2013.09.034. View

Ashraf U, Chaudhry M, Ahmad S, Ashraf I, Arslan M, Noor H . Impacts of climate change on L. based on ecological niche modeling. PeerJ. 2018; 6:e5792. PMC: 6195109. DOI: 10.7717/peerj.5792. View

10.

Lentini F, Venza F . Wild food plants of popular use in Sicily. J Ethnobiol Ethnomed. 2007; 3:15. PMC: 1858679. DOI: 10.1186/1746-4269-3-15. View

11.

Ventura Y, Eshel A, Pasternak D, Sagi M . The development of halophyte-based agriculture: past and present. Ann Bot. 2014; 115(3):529-40. PMC: 4332600. DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcu173. View

12.

DAgostino G, Giambra B, Palla F, Bruno M, Badalamenti N . The Application of the Essential Oils of L. and L. as Biocidal on Two Indian Leather Puppets. Plants (Basel). 2021; 10(8). PMC: 8398783. DOI: 10.3390/plants10081508. View

13.

Renna M . Reviewing the Prospects of Sea Fennel ( L.) as Emerging Vegetable Crop. Plants (Basel). 2018; 7(4). PMC: 6313929. DOI: 10.3390/plants7040092. View

14.

Fragopoulou E, Detopoulou P, Nomikos T, Pliakis E, Panagiotakos D, Antonopoulou S . Mediterranean wild plants reduce postprandial platelet aggregation in patients with metabolic syndrome. Metabolism. 2011; 61(3):325-34. DOI: 10.1016/j.metabol.2011.07.006. View

15.

Zhang H, Ma Z . Phytochemical and Pharmacological Properties of Capparis spinosa as a Medicinal Plant. Nutrients. 2018; 10(2). PMC: 5852692. DOI: 10.3390/nu10020116. View

16.

Shiri M, Rabhi M, El Amrani A, Abdelly C . The Halophyte Cakile maritima Reduces Phenanthrene Phytotoxicity. Int J Phytoremediation. 2015; 17(10):925-8. DOI: 10.1080/15226514.2014.1003784. View

17.

Centofanti T, Banuelos G . Evaluation of the halophyte Salsola soda as an alternative crop for saline soils high in selenium and boron. J Environ Manage. 2015; 157:96-102. DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2015.04.005. View

18.

Farhat N, Hichri S, Hildebrandt T, Debez A, Braun H . Composition and Stability of the Oxidative Phosphorylation System in the Halophile Plant . Front Plant Sci. 2019; 10:1010. PMC: 6700300. DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2019.01010. View

19.

Debez A, Braun H, Pich A, Taamalli W, Koyro H, Abdelly C . Proteomic and physiological responses of the halophyte Cakile maritima to moderate salinity at the germinative and vegetative stages. J Proteomics. 2012; 75(18):5667-94. DOI: 10.1016/j.jprot.2012.08.012. View

20.

Tomaselli V, Tenerelli P, Sciandrello S . Mapping and quantifying habitat fragmentation in small coastal areas: a case study of three protected wetlands in Apulia (Italy). Environ Monit Assess. 2011; 184(2):693-713. DOI: 10.1007/s10661-011-1995-9. View