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Adaptation of the Euhalophyte Suaeda salsa to High-Salinity Conditions

From Seed Germination to Seed Formation

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Handbook of Halophytes

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Abstract

Halophytes can complete their lifecycles in natural environments with high levels of salt (200 mM NaCl or more). Therefore, halophytes represent excellent sources of salt-tolerant genes for use in traditional crops to improve the efficiency of agriculture in saline-alkali environments. Here, we review the latest information about Suaeda salsa, an especially promising genetic resource. This typical euhalophyte has succulent leaves and grows in saline habitats in inland and intertidal zones. S. salsa produces dimorphic seeds (black and brown seeds) on the same plant under natural growth conditions. These seeds have different germination rates and salt-tolerant levels, making them excellent models for studying the mechanisms underlying salt adaption. S. salsa plants are highly salt-tolerant during vegetative and reproductive growth, with optimal growth occurring at 200 mM NaCl. Several S. salsa genes involved in salt tolerance during seedling growth have been cloned and functionally characterized. Some of these genes are highly expressed in flowers at the reproductive stage. This review lays the foundation for using S. salsa to design approaches to improve salt tolerance in crops and to remediate saline soils.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 31570251 and 31770288), the independent innovation and achievement transformation of special major key technical plans of Shandong Province (2015ZDJS03002 and 2017CXGC0313), the Natural Science Research Foundation of Shandong Province (ZR2017MC003), and the Higher Educational Science and Technology Program of Shandong Province (J17KA136).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Stress, College of Life Sciences, Shandong Normal University, Ji’nan, China

    Jianrong Guo, Jie Song & Baoshan Wang

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  1. Jianrong Guo
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  2. Jie Song
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  3. Baoshan Wang
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Correspondence to Baoshan Wang .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Biology, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, Iasi, Romania

    Marius-Nicusor Grigore

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  1. Instituto de Conservación y Mejora de la Agrodiversidad Valenciana (COMAV), Universitat Politècnica de València, Valencia, Spain

    Oscar Vicente

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Guo, J., Song, J., Wang, B. (2021). Adaptation of the Euhalophyte Suaeda salsa to High-Salinity Conditions. In: Grigore, MN. (eds) Handbook of Halophytes. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-57635-6_83

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