Some plants, known as halophytes, exhibit salt tolerance as a survival strategy in saline environments such as coastal marshes, salt flats, and arid regions with high soil salinity.
These plants have evolved specialized adaptations like salt-excreting glands, succulent tissues for diluting internal salt concentrations, and compartmentalization of salt within vacuoles to protect vital cellular processes.
This salt tolerance enables them to thrive where most other plants cannot, reducing competition for resources.
For humans, salt-tolerant plants are increasingly relevant in agriculture and climate resilience; they offer promising solutions for cultivating crops on marginal lands affected by salinization due to irrigation or sea-level rise.
Species like Salicornia are even explored for use as saline-tolerant food crops, biofuels, and animal fodder, making halophyte research crucial for food security in a changing world.
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