## 5 Conclusions  
This study demonstrates that the optimal harvesting periods of halophytes and salt-tolerant plants vary depending on the target species and sought-after biotechnological applications, whether for maximizing specific nutrients, extracting valuable metabolites, or combining both. _M. marina_ and _C. soldanella_ exhibit a more balanced nutrient profile across seasons, characterized by higher protein and lower ash contents, making them promising candidates for feed or nutraceuticalil applications; _I. crithmoides, L. monopetalum_, and _P. coronopus_ may serve as viable alternatives, particularly in seasons when ash content is lower; _H. italicum picardii_ is notable for its high mineral and antioxidant content, indicating its potential as a feed supplement or nutraceuticalil resource; _P. lentiiscus_ (Wi) and _L. monopetalum_ and _C. mariscus_ (Su) stand out due to their elevated polyphenol levels and abundance of identified antioxidant and anthelmintic metabolites, presenting opportunities for their exploitation as nutraceuticalil or phytotherapeutic products or as sources of novel bioactive molecules. Overall, this work increases our understanding of how seasonal variations influence the suitability of salt-tolerant plant biomass for diverse applications in ruminant production systems and underscores the value of these species as year-round resources, maximizing their use for feed, nutraceuticalils, and phytotherapeutics or as sources of added-value individual metabolites.  
Both intrinsic factors, like plant organs, evolutionary adaptations, and ecological requirements, and the simultaneous influence of multiple abiotic and biotic pressures in the wild environment trigger the synthesis of primary and secondary metabolites in each plant species. Although left outside of this work, unravelling the ecological configurations that shape each plant species' chemical profile is of utmost significance and should be addressed in future work. Either way, by integrating seasonal dynamics into the decision-making process, this study provides a framework for optimizing the utilization of halophytes and salt-tolerant plants alone or in complementary strategies, supporting sustainable ruminant production in the Mediterranean area.  
Conceptualization, M.O. and M.J.R.; methodology, M.O., C.G.P., M.J.R. and L.C.; investigation, M.O., C.G.P., V.C.-L. and N.R.N.; data curation, L.C.; writing--original draft preparation, M.O.; writing--review and editing, L.C. and H.H.; supervision, L.C. and H.H.; project administration, L.C.; funding acquisition, K.B.H. and L.C. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.  
This research was funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and the Portuguese National Budget through project grants UIDB/04326/2020 (DOI:10.54499/UIDB/04326/2020), UIDP/04326/2020 (DOI:10.54499/UIDP/04326/2020), LA/P/0101/2020 (DOI:10.54499/LA/P/0101/2020), ALG-01-0145-FEDER-028876, and HaloFarMs (PRIMA/0002/2019). MO was supported by FCT (SFRH/BD/123658/2016), LC by FCT Scientific Employment Stimulus (CEECIND/00425/2017), and MJR by the FCT program contract (UIDP/04326/2020). This work was also conducted under the framework of COST Action CA22144, titled \"Sustainable Use of Salt-Affected Land\" (SUSTAIN), and CA22109, titled \"Medicinal plants for animal health care: Translating tradition into modern veterinary medicine\" (MedPlants4 Vet), with support from COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology).  
Not applicable.  
The original contributions presented in this study are included in the article. Further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding author.