Nutritive value of twoTamarixspecies in Egypt

Shoots ofTamarix niloticaandT. aphyllawere collected from north Sinai, the Nile Delta and North Western Desert of Egypt and analysed forin vitrototal digestible nutrients, nutritive value, gross energy and element contents. Pronounced differences were recorded between the two species for all the estimated variables. Variation in gross energy in the tissues of both species in relation to different locations was insignificant. The two evaluated species have relatively low contents of N, K, Ca and crude protein and high contents of P, Mg and Na. There was a moderate positive correlation between the N–NDF, K–CF and EE–NDF ofTamarix aphylla. The present study evaluated the nutrient status of both species as poor forage.