Mechanisms of salt tolerance in halophytes: can crop plants resistance to salinity be improved? High concentrations of sodium are toxic to most plant species, making soil salinity a major abiotic stress in plant productivity world wide. Many crop species, which countless people rely for survival, are negatively affected. Physiological and biochemical research has shown that salt tolerance in halophytes depends on a range of adaptations embracing many aspects of a plants physiology, including; ion compartmentalisation, osmolyte production, germination responses, osmotic adaptation, succulence, selective transport and uptake of ions, enzyme responses, salt excretion and genetic control. . | 1 APS 402 Dissertation Candidate no 000124971 Mechanisms of salt tolerance in halophytes can crop plants resistance to salinity be improved Jennifer Seaman High concentrations of sodium are toxic to most plant species making soil salinity a major abiotic stress in plant productivity world wide. Many crop species which countless people rely for survival are negatively affected. Physiological and biochemical research has shown that salt tolerance in halophytes depends on a range of adaptations embracing many aspects of a plants physiology including ion compartmentalisation osmolyte production germination responses osmotic adaptation succulence selective transport and uptake of ions enzyme responses salt excretion and genetic control. The ability of plants cells to maintain low cytosolic sodium concentrations is an essential process associated with the ability of plants to grow in high salt concentrations. New insights into the mechanisms by which plants achieve this have emerged from the identification of genes in Arabidopsis that play a critical role in plant resistance to salt. Unfortunately there are few investigations which combine studies of growth and other measurements on both biophysical and biochemical plant characteristics. Such joint investigations will be particularly important in the discovery of traits which present the ability to maintain high plant productivity in saline environments. Many questions emerge with rapid advances in the possible genetic transfer of halophyte salt tolerance traits to crop plants which need to be answered. With several new biological techniques now established we can begin to plan for rapid progressions in improving crop plant salt resistance in the near future. Seven percent of the land s surface and five percent of cultivated lands are affected by salinity 1 with salt stress being one of the most serious environmental factors limiting the productivity of crop plants 2 . Therefore extensive research into plant salt .
