Abstract :
Overgrazing and mismanagement of rangelands, climate change, drought and ‘salinisation’
of lands are threatening the sustainability of production systems and the fertility of cropping
lands worldwide. This alarming situation drew the attention of policy makers, scientists and
technicians and motivated them to develop feasible and sustainable strategies targeting the
promotion of livestock sector in arid and semi arid zones, drought mitigation, protection
and better use of natural resources (i.e. rangelands and water sources) and combating soil
and water salinity. There has been an increasing awareness of the value of shrubs in forage
production and for rehabilitation of depleted rangelands. Among the wide range of multipurpose
fodder trees and shrubs, oldman saltbush (Atriplex nummularia Lindl.) has received
increasing interest as livestock forage and valuable revegetation species on marginal saline
lands, especially in arid zones of Australia and in the West Asia and North Africa (WANA)
region. Adapted to drought and water and soil salinity, oldman saltbush produces important
consumable biomass in areas where other crops cannot grow. To cope with these harsh
conditions, this species accumulates high levels of salt and oxalates on its leaves rendering
them less palatable and decreasing their nutritive value. Even though, satisfactory performance
of small ruminants fed on A. nummularia has been reported in numerous research
studies. This paper presents a thorough review of the literature on fodder potential of oldman
saltbush and highlights the main constraints and opportunities to make better use of
this shrub for feeding sheep and goat under different production systems.
