Salinity Tolerance in Plants : Methods Mechanisms and Management

Contents: Preface. 1. Historical Development. 2. Nature and properties of salt affected soils and ground waters. 3. Reclamation and management principles. 4. Plants in relations to salinity. 5. Mechanisms of salt injury in plants. 6. Salinity and metabolic processes. 7. Salinity and plant mineral nutrition. 8. Environmental factors and salt tolerance. 9. Mechanisms of salt resistance. 10. Strategies for increasing salt resistance in plants. 11. Afforestation and agroforestry in salt affected soils. Annexures. Index. Salinity tolerance in plants is a complex problem encompassing numerous morphological, physiological and biochemical processes and adaptations at the cellular, sub-cellular and whole plant levels. The book comprising eleven chapters deals with diverse aspects of salt tolerance including plant response to salinity and sodicity, crop tolerance at different growth stages and criteria for evaluating the same. The mechanisms of salt injury viz. osmotic, ionic and nutrient imbalance has been dealt with, adopting an integrated approach. Likewise, the recent information on photosynthesis, respiration, carbohydrate, nitrogen and protein metabolism, enzyme dynamics and plant hormones, as well as nodulation and symbiotic nitrogen fixation in legumes has been elaborated comprehensively. Special attention has been given to the interaction between essential nutrients and salinity as it is vital for alleviation of adverse effects of salt stress. The synthesis of knowledge on different mechanisms of salt resistance, inclusind osmoregulation with organic and inorganic solutes has also been presented. Various methods of introducing salt tolerance in plants such as breeding, genetic variations, physiological approaches, tissue culture, somaclonal variation, somatic hybridation and recombinant DNA technology have been discussed. The nature and properties of salt affected soils, groundwater and principles for amelioration and management of these critical problems have been included in this book. Furthermore, Afforestation and Agroforestry techniques for sale affected soils with emphasis on salt tolerant tree species and suitable tree crop combinations also find their much needed due space in the present book.…