Effect of Environmental Salt Stress on Plants and the Molecular Mechanism of Salt Stress Tolerance

Abstract

Abiotic environmental stresses can negatively impact plant growth and productivity. Soil salinity is one of the major environment limitations on plant yield and distribution. In this article, we review the damage that environmental salt stress has on plants and how plant tolerates salt stress on the molecular level. We discussed multiple signalling and listed some pathways with certain members identified elements and some of the several common salt tolerance determinants. We examined the effect of salinity stress on plant development by reviewing the intracellular metabolic processes with excessive Na+ and Cl-. Salt stress affects every aspect of plant development, inhibits the growth of the plant, reduces the fresh weight and dry weight of root, stem, and leaf, decreases the expansion of leaf and changes the morphology of the leaf. It also suppresses photosynthesis and affects the ion homeostasis in plants, causing an imbalance of metabolism and oxidative stress. We also reviewed the molecular mechanism of plant salt stress tolerance in the form of the regulation of multiple physical and biochemical response, including the salt overly sensitive pathway, MAPK signal pathway, as well as other protein kinase and abscisic acid mediation. All in all, today’s research elevates our understanding of plant salt-resistance mechanisms to an unprecedented level. And yet, further studies on more elements of the signalling pathways are needed to fully understand the mechanisms of plant stress tolerance.