TRAITS OF WILD PLANTS IN QATAR PENINSULA AND RESEARCH PERSPECTIVES

Most of the wild plants in Qatar are recognized and grouped under three main aspects: (1) water, (2) solutes, and (3) structures. Plants might have different abilities to absorb and store water, build and accumulate organic and inorganic solutes as well as developing structures to regulate these components. Understanding the mechanisms of plant resistance to various harsh environmental conditions is of great importance in determining the characteristics of these plants, which can be considered as experimental materials for further modern and contemporary studies to develop crop plants with desirable traits and are well adapted to those conditions. Native plants at the coastal line or in the desert of the Qatari peninsula can avoid drought and salinity either by storing water or efficiently absorbing it, succulent plants, for example, could have water cells in various plant organs to confer such mechanisms. Water spender plants, on the other hand, can avoid drought by producing extensive roots or intensive fibrous root system to increase the active root surface area. Salt regulation and organic solute accumulation in these plants is another pivotal area of research to exploit and improve some traits in crop plants. Organic solutes might play significant role to protect the membrane and machinery systems from severe stresses. However, developing transgenic plants by salt regulation might not feasible for crop plants, while the potential of accumulation of proline and / or glycinebetaine in many native plants in Qatar could be a possible trait to be exploited to develop plants that are well adapted under the dry or saline environments. On the other hand, morphological and structural features of wild plants might be a good source of traits to be used in the modern gene technology. Some characteristics of cell walls, cuticle thickness and possibly the chemical composition of plasma membranes should be considered.