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Review

Adaptive Mechanisms of Halophytes and Their Potential in Improving Salinity Tolerance in Plants

by
Md. Mezanur Rahman
1,
Mohammad Golam Mostofa
1,2,*,
Sanjida Sultana Keya
1,
Md. Nurealam Siddiqui
2,
Md. Mesbah Uddin Ansary
3,
Ashim Kumar Das
4,
Md. Abiar Rahman
4 and
Lam Son-Phan Tran
1,5,*
1
Department of Plant and Soil Science, Institute of Genomics for Crop Abiotic Stress Tolerance, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA
2
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, Gazipur 1706, Bangladesh
3
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka 1342, Bangladesh
4
Department of Agroforestry and Environment, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, Gazipur 1706, Bangladesh
5
Institute of Research and Development, Duy Tan University, Da Nang 550000, Vietnam
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(19), 10733; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms221910733
Submission received: 7 August 2021 / Revised: 25 September 2021 / Accepted: 27 September 2021 / Published: 3 October 2021
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Approaches to Improve Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Crop Plants)

Abstract

Soil salinization, which is aggravated by climate change and inappropriate anthropogenic activities, has emerged as a serious environmental problem, threatening sustainable agriculture and future food security. Although there has been considerable progress in developing crop varieties by introducing salt tolerance-associated traits, most crop cultivars grown in saline soils still exhibit a decline in yield, necessitating the search for alternatives. Halophytes, with their intrinsic salt tolerance characteristics, are known to have great potential in rehabilitating salt-contaminated soils to support plant growth in saline soils by employing various strategies, including phytoremediation. In addition, the recent identification and characterization of salt tolerance-related genes encoding signaling components from halophytes, which are naturally grown under high salinity, have paved the way for the development of transgenic crops with improved salt tolerance. In this review, we aim to provide a comprehensive update on salinity-induced negative effects on soils and plants, including alterations of physicochemical properties in soils, and changes in physiological and biochemical processes and ion disparities in plants. We also review the physiological and biochemical adaptation strategies that help halophytes grow and survive in salinity-affected areas. Furthermore, we illustrate the halophyte-mediated phytoremediation process in salinity-affected areas, as well as their potential impacts on soil properties. Importantly, based on the recent findings on salt tolerance mechanisms in halophytes, we also comprehensively discuss the potential of improving salt tolerance in crop plants by introducing candidate genes related to antiporters, ion transporters, antioxidants, and defense proteins from halophytes for conserving sustainable agriculture in salinity-prone areas.
Keywords: coastal areas; halophytes; phytoremediation; salt tolerance mechanisms; soil salinity; transgenic plants coastal areas; halophytes; phytoremediation; salt tolerance mechanisms; soil salinity; transgenic plants

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MDPI and ACS Style

Rahman, M.M.; Mostofa, M.G.; Keya, S.S.; Siddiqui, M.N.; Ansary, M.M.U.; Das, A.K.; Rahman, M.A.; Tran, L.S.-P. Adaptive Mechanisms of Halophytes and Their Potential in Improving Salinity Tolerance in Plants. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22, 10733. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms221910733

AMA Style

Rahman MM, Mostofa MG, Keya SS, Siddiqui MN, Ansary MMU, Das AK, Rahman MA, Tran LS-P. Adaptive Mechanisms of Halophytes and Their Potential in Improving Salinity Tolerance in Plants. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2021; 22(19):10733. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms221910733

Chicago/Turabian Style

Rahman, Md. Mezanur, Mohammad Golam Mostofa, Sanjida Sultana Keya, Md. Nurealam Siddiqui, Md. Mesbah Uddin Ansary, Ashim Kumar Das, Md. Abiar Rahman, and Lam Son-Phan Tran. 2021. "Adaptive Mechanisms of Halophytes and Their Potential in Improving Salinity Tolerance in Plants" International Journal of Molecular Sciences 22, no. 19: 10733. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms221910733

APA Style

Rahman, M. M., Mostofa, M. G., Keya, S. S., Siddiqui, M. N., Ansary, M. M. U., Das, A. K., Rahman, M. A., & Tran, L. S.-P. (2021). Adaptive Mechanisms of Halophytes and Their Potential in Improving Salinity Tolerance in Plants. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 22(19), 10733. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms221910733

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