Making wheat salt tolerant: What is missing?

• DOI: 10.1016/j.cj.2024.01.005
• Publication Date: 2024-02-03T05:31:38Z
• Authors: Lukasz Kotula; Noreen Zahra; Muhammad Farooq; Sergey Shabala; Kadambot H.M. Sid...
• Keywords: Tissue tolerance; Phenotyping; S; Agriculture (General); Potassium retention; Agriculture; Breeding; Sodium exclusion; Reactive oxygen species; S1-972

The growing global population presents a significant challenge to ensuring food security, further compounded by the increasing threat of salinity agricultural productivity. Wheat, major staple providing 20 % total caloric intake for humans, is susceptible stress. Developing new salt-tolerant wheat cultivars using breeding techniques and genetic modifications crucial addressing this issue while sustainability efficiency production systems within prevailing climate trend. This review overviews current landscape in field explores key mechanisms associated traits that warrant attention programs. We contend traditional approaches Na+ exclusion have limited applicability across varying soil levels, rendering them inefficient. Moreover, we question phenotyping approaches, advocating shift from whole-plant assessments cell-based platforms. Finally, propose broader use wild relatives various strategies tap into their germplasm pool inclusion