ABSTRACT
This chapter presents an overview regarding salt stress and its effects on different physiological and biochemical aspects of plants. Seed germination is one of the earliest critical stages for plant growth and establishment in a saline environment. Salinity affects several vital physiological processes during germination including imbibition, germination and root elongation. Salinity-induced alterations in plants including seedling growth and establishment are crucial for plant survival. Salt stress causes modification and alteration in the ultrastructures of different tissues, organelles and even cell components. Plants produce their food by a mechanism called ‘photosynthesis’, which is the main determinant of the dry matter accumulation and productivity of the crops. The initial effect of salt stress on plant growth is a limitation of water availability called osmotic stress. Glycine betaine is an organic amphoteric quaternary ammonium compound ubiquitously found in plants and having an imperative role in salt stress mitigation.
