Salinity tolerance of crops – what is the cost?

Summary Soil salinity reduces crop yield. The extent and severity of salt‐affected agricultural land is predicted to worsen as a result of inadequate drainage of irrigated land, rising water tables and global warming. The growth and yield of most plant species are adversely affected by soil salinity, but varied adaptations can allow some crop cultivars to continue to grow and produce a harvestable yield under moderate soil salinity. Significant costs are associated with saline soils: the economic costs to the farming community and the energy costs of plant adaptations. We briefly consider mechanisms of adaptation and highlight recent research examples through a lens of their applicability to improving the energy efficiency of crops under saline field conditions. Contents Summary 668 I. Soil salinity and its economic costs 668 II. Mechanisms of plant adaptation to saline soil and potential energy costs 668 III. New insights into salinity tolerance mechanisms 670 IV. Better yield under nonsaline conditions equals better salt tolerance? 671 V. What does the future hold for stress tolerance research? 672 Acknowledgements 672 References 672

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