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Halophytes: Prospective Plants for Future

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Ecophysiology, Abiotic Stress Responses and Utilization of Halophytes

Abstract

Halophytes are the flowering plants native to saline habitats. These habitats contain high salt, heavy metals and other toxic anthropogenic agents. To complete their life cycle in such harsh conditions, halophytes have developed different strategies like development of succulence, compartmentalization of toxic ions, synthesis of osmolytes, increase in activity of antioxidants and synthesis of compatible solutes. Halophytes have significant applied interests towards various agricultural and non-agricultural purposes besides for maintenance of ecological balance. Important bioactive metabolites can be derived from halophytic plant species for commercial value. In addition, halophytes can be utilized as alternative plants as they could be cultivated for food, fodder/forage, fuel and medicinal crops on saline lands with the help of salty water irrigation. Apart from tolerance, halophytes can be utilized for environmental cleanup. Many halophytes are hyper accumulators of different heavy metals and salt. In this chapter, we discussed prospective use of halophytes for their economic importance as well their potential implications for environmental cleanup.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany, R. K. Talreja College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Affiliated to University of Mumbai, Thane, India

    Ganesh Chandrakant Nikalje

  2. Department of Botany, Amruteshwar Art’s, Commerce and Science College, Pune, MS, India

    Shelke Deepak Bhaskar

  3. Dr. B. Lal Institute of Biotechnology, Rajasthan University, Jaipur, India

    Kushi Yadav

  4. Nuclear Agriculture and Biotechnology Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, India

    Suprasanna Penna

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  1. Ganesh Chandrakant Nikalje
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  2. Shelke Deepak Bhaskar
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  3. Kushi Yadav
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  4. Suprasanna Penna
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Agronomy, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka, Bangladesh

    Mirza Hasanuzzaman

  2. Department of Agricultural Botany, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka, Bangladesh

    Kamrun Nahar

  3. Botany Department & Centre for Environmental Studies, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey

    Münir Öztürk

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Nikalje, G.C., Bhaskar, S.D., Yadav, K., Penna, S. (2019). Halophytes: Prospective Plants for Future. In: Hasanuzzaman, M., Nahar, K., Öztürk , M. (eds) Ecophysiology, Abiotic Stress Responses and Utilization of Halophytes. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-3762-8_10

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