Ecology and establishment of fiber producing taxa naturally growing in the Egyptian deserts

The natural plant life of The Egyptian deserts is formed mainly of xerophytes and halophytes rich with fiber taxa that could be considered renewable resources for various fiber industries. Fourteen of these species were described ecologically. The fiber contents of seven species, namely. Thymelaea hirsuta, Cyperus papyrus, Desmostachya bipinnata, Typha domingensis, Typha elephantina, Juncus rigidus and Juncus acutus were measured. The long fibers (1200–6100 μm) represent about 60% of the fiber contents of the first five species; the reverse was true in the two Juncus species. Juncus spp. are halophytes proved experimentally to produce good quality paper. Successful field experiment to establish Juncus spp. in saline soil of Egypt's desert was conducted. Irrigation of the experiment was carried out using the non-fresh water of Manzala Lake.