Sarcocornia A. J. Scott is a halophytic edible succulent plant belonging to the Amaranthaceae family. To date, the genus includes 28 species distributed worldwide in saline environments, usually salt marshes. Sarcocornia (Scott) is similar to Salicornia (L.), which has a recognized commercial value in morphological and taxonomical traits. Species of both genera are commonly named samphire or glassworts in Europe, and their fleshy shoots are commercialized under their traditional names. Due to their nutritional, organoleptic and medicinal properties, Sarcocornia species have a high economic potential in various biotechnology sectors. Being highly tolerant to salt, they can be cultivated in saline conditions, and dissimilar to Salicornia, they are perennial, i.e., they can be harvested year-round. Therefore, Sarcocornia species are considered promising gourmet vegetables to be explored in the context of climate change, soil and water salinization and eco-sustainability. We hereby put together and reviewed the most relevant information on Sarcocornia taxonomy, morphology, nutritional and pharmacological properties, uses in ethnomedicine, potential applications in biotechnology, and propagation strategies.

Halophytic plants are, by definition, well adapted to saline soils. However, even halophytes can face nutritional imbalance and the accumulation of high levels of compounds such as oxalic acid (OA), and nitrate (NO₃⁻). These compounds compromise the potential nutritional health benefits associated with salt-tolerant plants such as Portulaca oleracea or Purslane. Purslane has long been known to be a highly nutritious leafy vegetable particularly with respect to high levels of omega-3 fatty acids. Thus, preventing the accumulation of non-nutritional compounds will allow plants to be grown in saline conditions as crops. Two ecotypes (ET and RN) of Portulaca oleracea plants were grown under growth room conditions with two levels of salinity (0, 50 mM NaCl) and three ratios of nitrate: ammonium (0:100%; 33:66%; 25:75% NO₃⁻:NH₄⁺). The results show that both ecotypes, when exposed to elevated NO₃⁻, showed severe leaf chlorosis, high levels of OA, citric acid, and malic acid. Compared to ecotype RN, ecotype ET, exposed to elevated NH₄⁺ concentrations (33% and 75%) and 50 mM NaCl, displayed a marked reduction in OA content, increased total chlorophyll and carotenoid contents, crude protein content, total fatty acid (TFA) and α-Linolenic acid (ALA), enhancing leaf quality. This opens the potential to grow high biomass, low OA P. oleracae crops. Lastly, our experiments suggest that ecotype ET copes with saline conditions and elevated NH₄⁺ through shifts in leaf metabolites.

• Background and Aims Border cells are released from the root tips of many plant species, and can remain viable in the rhizosphere for 1 week. Whether border cells are capable of controlled glucose exchange with their environment was investigated. • Methods Border cells were removed from Zea mays L. root tips, and immersed in ¹⁴C‐labelled d‐glucose. In one experiment, the hexose transport inhibitor, phlorizin, was used to investigate active glucose uptake from a range of glucose concentrations. In another experiment, glucose efflux from border cells was monitored over time. • Key Results Glucose uptake by the border cells increased with increasing glucose concentration from 0·2 to 20 mm. At 0·2 mm glucose, uptake was mainly active, as evidenced by the approx. 60 % inhibition with phlorizin. At 2 and 20 mm glucose, however, uptake was mainly via diffusion, as phlorizin inhibition was negligible. Glucose efflux increased with time for live border cells in both 2 and 20 mm glucose. There was no clear efflux/time pattern for heat‐killed border cells. • Conclusions Border cells actively take up glucose, and also release it. Under our experimental conditions, glucose uptake and efflux were of similar order of magnitude. In the rhizosphere net glucose exchange will almost certainly depend on local soil conditions.

Plant-derived carbon is the substrate which drives the rate of microbial assimilation and turnover of nutrients, in particular N and P, within the rhizosphere. To develop a better understanding of rhizosphere dynamics, a tripartite reporter gene system has been developed. We used three lux-marked Pseudomonas fluorescens strains to report on soil (1) assimilable carbon, (2) N-status, and (3) P-status. In vivo studies using soil water, spiked with C, N and P to simulate rhizosphere conditions, showed that the tripartite reporter system can provide real-time assessment of carbon and nutrient status. Good quantitative agreement for bioluminescence output between reference material and soil water samples was found for the C and P reporters. With regard to soil nitrate, the minimum bioavailable concentration was found to be greater than that analytically detectable in soil water. This is the first time that bioavailable soil C, N and P have been quantified using a tripartite reporter gene system.