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Abstract
The physiological and molecular mechanisms of tolerance to osmotic and ionic components
of salinity stress are reviewed at the cellular, organ, and whole-plant level. Plant
growth responds to salinity in two phases: a rapid, osmotic phase that inhibits growth
of young leaves, and a slower, ionic phase that accelerates senescence of mature leaves.
Plant adaptations to salinity are of three distinct types: osmotic stress tolerance,
Na(+) or Cl() exclusion, and the tolerance of tissue to accumulated Na(+) or Cl().
Our understanding of the role of the HKT gene family in Na(+) exclusion from leaves
is increasing, as is the understanding of the molecular bases for many other transport
processes at the cellular level. However, we have a limited molecular understanding
of the overall control of Na(+) accumulation and of osmotic stress tolerance at the
whole-plant level. Molecular genetics and functional genomics provide a new opportunity
to synthesize molecular and physiological knowledge to improve the salinity tolerance
of plants relevant to food production and environmental sustainability.