Sihle Ngxabi

• Master of Horticultural Sciences
• Cape Peninsula University of Technology

Increasing soil salinity is already having a significant effect on production losses of commercial vegetables around the globe. Thus, the implementation of innovative techniques is crucial to cultivate these vegetables amidst these unfavourable conditions. Halophytes are potential plants for resilient agricultural systems, such as intercropping wit...

Climate change, drought, and soil salinization present huge limitations to global agricultural output, which threatens food security. This necessitates the cultivation and domestication of wild edible halophytes as alternatives to mainstream food crops, especially in arid and semi‐arid regions. Trachyandra ciliata is one of the under‐researched and...

Global agriculture feeds over seven billion people and alarmingly, this number is expected to increase by a further 50% by 2050. To meet the additional food demand, the world development report has estimated that crop production should increase by 70–100% by 2050. However, climate change, expanding soil salinization, and the developing shortages of...

A greenhouse pot experiment was conducted at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology to determine the optimum nitrogen concentration for cultivating Phaseolus vulgaris cv. Star 2000 in hydroponics. Three levels of nitrogen (64 ppm, 128 ppm, and 256 ppm), in the form of ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3), were added to the nutrient solution to evaluate i...

Water scarcity and high salinity in agricultural lands pose serious threats to food security amid exponential population growth. This then necessitates the cultivation of salt- and drought-tolerant plant species as alternatives to mainstream vegetable crops. Previous studies have identified Trachyandra ciliata (wild cabbage) and other wild edible h...

Tetragonia decumbens is a neglected edible halophyte that grows naturally in coastal areas of South Africa. Its underutilisation is due to the limited literature on its nutraceutical potential. So, this research was designed to assess the nutritional value, secondary metabolites, and anti-microbial potential of wild and greenhouse cultivated T. dec...

security and nutrition and promote sustainable crop production by 2050. However, climate change, increasing soil salinization and the inadequate availability of fresh water have negatively affected crop production around the world including South Africa, making it difficult to meet the required target. This necessitates the use of wild edible plant...

This study evaluated the effect of salinity and soilless media on the vegetative growth, phytochemicals, and antioxidant capacity of Trachyandra ciliata (wild cabbage) to develop its growth protocol and explore its potential as a natural source of secondary metabolites. Treatments consisted of different concentrations of sodium chloride (NaCl), con...