Title:Genomics Approaches For Improving Salinity Stress Tolerance in Crop Plants
Volume: 17
Issue: 4
Author(s): Ramsong Chantre Nongpiur, Sneh Lata Singla-Pareek and Ashwani Pareek
Affiliation:
Keywords:
Hormones, Crosstalk, Crop-improvement, Gene identification, Genomics, Salinity.
Abstract: Salinity is one of the major factors which reduces crop production worldwide. Plant responses
to salinity are highly complex and involve a plethora of genes. Due to its multigenicity, it has
been difficult to attain a complete understanding of how plants respond to salinity. Genomics has progressed
tremendously over the past decade and has played a crucial role towards providing necessary
knowledge for crop improvement. Through genomics, we have been able to identify and characterize
the genes involved in salinity stress response, map out signaling pathways and ultimately utilize this
information for improving the salinity tolerance of existing crops. The use of new tools, such as gene pyramiding, in genetic
engineering and marker assisted breeding has tremendously enhanced our ability to generate stress tolerant crops.
Genome editing technologies such as Zinc finger nucleases, TALENs and CRISPR/Cas9 also provide newer and faster
avenues for plant biologists to generate precisely engineered crops.