ABSTRACT
ASHWANI KUMAR, ANITA MANN, ARVIND KUMAR, SARITA DEVI, and PRABODH CHANDER SHARMA
ABSTRACT
Salinity is one of the major abiotic stresses that hinder the performance of the crop plants. Besides osmotic stress, the toxic components of salinity, that is, Na+ and Cl− ions interfere with the normal physiological processes resulting in significantly reduced yields. Many research groups across the world are vigorously promoting halophytic plants as potential candidates for the productivity enhancements of salt-affected lands. Halophytes constitute only about 1% of the world’s flora, but are characterized to survive in environments having salt concentration as high as 200 mM NaCl. Halophytes have evolved a number of adaptive traits which include ion compartmentalization, osmotic adjustment, succulence, selective transport and uptake of ions, enzymatic and nonenzymatic antioxidant response, maintenance of redox and energy status, salt inclusion/excretion, and genetic regulation. Besides, they are also being increasingly viewed as potential sources of novel salt tolerant genes/transcripts for use in the genetic improvement. Many such genes isolated from the halophytic species have been introgressed in model plants to test their efficacy in enhancing the salt tolerance. The elucidation of mechanisms and gene transfer from halophytes to glycophytes or vice versa is an important field to work on to develop designer crops for the challenging environments to which agriculture will be increasingly exposed in future.
