The Influence of Salinity Stress on Plants and Their Molecular Mechanisms
Usman Khalid Chaudhry, Zahide Neslihan Öztürk Gökçe, Ali Fuat Gökçe
Abstract
Salt stress is one of the major threats to sustainable agriculture, as it is considered as an external environmental constraint that limits the growth and productivity of plants. It is more common in arid regions due to excessive evaporation, which causes the accumulation of inorganic salts that disrupts plant metabolism. It also makes as plants unable to absorb water due to higher Na+ ions in the root zone. It disrupts the normal functioning of the plants and triggers secondary stresses resulting in oxidative bursts., Plants exposure to salt stress stimulate signaling pathways that help the plants to establish cellular ionic homeostasis. Additionally, stress-responsive transcription factors play crucial roles in salt-stress responses and tolerance. The main transcription factors include bZIP, AP2/ERF, WRKY, NAC, bHLH, and MYB families, for the mediation of stress response.