Plant Salt Stress Tolerance: Mechanisms and Applications

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Response to Abiotic Stress and Climate Change".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2026 | Viewed by 293

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
Interests: soil ecology; saline–sodic soil; land degradation; soil microorganisms; soil structure; soil productivity enhancement; carbon/nitrogen cycle
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Soil salinization is a pervasive abiotic stressor that severely impedes plant growth and productivity, threatening global food security and sustainable agriculture. Understanding the intricate mechanisms that underlie plant salt tolerance is paramount to developing resilient crops for the future.

This Special Issue of Plants, entitled “Plant Salt Stress Tolerance: Mechanisms and Applications,” aims to compile high-quality original research and review articles that delve into the multifaceted responses of plants to salinity stress. We seek to explore the fundamental biological processes that confer tolerance, as well as the practical applications of this knowledge.

We welcome submissions that investigate, but are not limited to, the following topics:

  • Physiological and Biochemical Mechanisms: Osmotic adjustment, ion homeostasis (e.g., Na+/K+ ratio), oxidative stress management, and photosynthetic adaptations.
  • Molecular and Genetic Bases: Gene discovery, regulation of gene expression (e.g., transcription factors, non-coding RNAs), epigenetic modifications, and signal transduction pathways in response to salt stress.
  • Omics Approaches: Genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic insights into salt stress responses and tolerance.
  • Phytohormone Signaling: The role of abscisic acid (ABA), jasmonic acid (JA), auxins, and other hormones in mediating salt stress responses.
  • Microbe–Plant Interactions: The role of rhizospheric and endophytic microorganisms (e.g., PGPR) in enhancing plant salt tolerance.
  • Breeding and Biotechnological Applications: Development of salt-tolerant crop varieties through molecular breeding, marker-assisted selection, and genetic engineering.
  • Applied Research: Strategies for utilizing halophytes and salt-tolerant crops in the phytoremediation and agricultural utilization of saline–alkali soils.

This collection intends to provide a comprehensive platform for sharing cutting-edge discoveries that bridge the gap between basic research and applied science, ultimately contributing to the development of solutions for agriculture in saline environments.

Dr. Tianyun Shao
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • salt stress
  • abiotic stress
  • ion homeostasis
  • osmoregulation
  • oxidative stress
  • stress signaling
  • phytoremediation
  • halophytes
  • crop breeding
  • stress-tolerant crops

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

22 pages, 6627 KB  
Article
Exogenous Glutathione Enhances Salt Tolerance in Patchouli by Promoting the Antioxidant Capacity and Activating the Flavonoid Biosynthesis Pathway
by Heqin Yan, Yating Su, Jieyun Fang, Muhammad Zeeshan Ul Haq, Weizhe Su, Yougen Wu, Jiangtao Hu and Ya Liu
Plants 2026, 15(3), 457; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15030457 - 2 Feb 2026
Abstract
Salt stress is a severe threat to medicinal plants, adversely affecting their growth, yield, and quality. As a key antioxidant tripeptide, glutathione (GSH) confers salinity stress resilience in plants. However, how GSH shapes the plant tolerance to salt stress remains a mystery, especially [...] Read more.
Salt stress is a severe threat to medicinal plants, adversely affecting their growth, yield, and quality. As a key antioxidant tripeptide, glutathione (GSH) confers salinity stress resilience in plants. However, how GSH shapes the plant tolerance to salt stress remains a mystery, especially in medicinal plants, including Pogostemon cablin. In this study, we investigated the regulatory effects of exogenous GSH on P. cablin seedlings under salt conditions. The results showed that GSH significantly improved seedling quality under both normal and salt conditions, evidenced by the increased shoot and root dry weight, plant height, and root length. Moreover, GSH effectively protected the photosynthetic system against salt-mediated damage via raised chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, carotenoids, quantum yield of photosystem II [Y (II)], and PSII maximum efficiency (Fv/Fm). Furthermore, GSH stimulated the antioxidant defense system, including GSH, AsA, SOD, CAT, APX, POD, and GR, to restrain salt-induced malondialdehyde production and ROS burst. In addition, GSH treatment promoted the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, including total polyphenol and flavonoid. RNA-seq analysis revealed that the activation of the flavonoid biosynthetic pathway significantly enhanced salt tolerance in P. cablin. Notably, several key regulatory genes within this pathway, including PAL, 4CL, C4H, CHI, ANS, F3′H, and CYP93, were significantly upregulated 24 h following GSH application under salt conditions. Therefore, exogenous GSH alleviates salt-induced oxidative stress in P. cablin via enhancing the antioxidant defense system and flavonoid biosynthetic activation. These findings provide valuable insights into the dual defense strategies of GSH for conferring salt resistance in plants. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Salt Stress Tolerance: Mechanisms and Applications)
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20 pages, 2809 KB  
Article
The Effects of Salinity on Microbial Metabolic Limitation and Carbon Use Efficiency in Rhizosphere and Bulk Soils of Tamarix austromongolica
by Jia Sun, Jianmin Chu, Jingbo Wang and Qian Wang
Plants 2026, 15(3), 344; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15030344 - 23 Jan 2026
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Abstract
Soil extracellular enzyme activity reflects microbial resource acquisition and metabolic efficiency. However, applying enzyme stoichiometry to explore microbial metabolic limitations and carbon use efficiency (CUE) in rhizosphere and bulk soils under saline conditions remains limited. In this study, rhizosphere and bulk soils of [...] Read more.
Soil extracellular enzyme activity reflects microbial resource acquisition and metabolic efficiency. However, applying enzyme stoichiometry to explore microbial metabolic limitations and carbon use efficiency (CUE) in rhizosphere and bulk soils under saline conditions remains limited. In this study, rhizosphere and bulk soils of Tamarix austromongolica were sampled along a salinity gradient in the Yellow River Delta to assess microbial metabolic limitation and CUE. Results showed that increasing salinity intensified microbial metabolic limitations and markedly reduced CUE, identifying salinity as the dominant factor constraining microbial efficiency. Rhizosphere soils consistently exhibited phosphorus limitation, whereas bulk soils shifted from balanced N–P limitation to pronounced N limitation with increasing salinity. Despite stronger microbial C limitation, CUE remained significantly higher in the rhizosphere than in the bulk soils, suggesting that continuous carbon inputs and enhanced enzyme activity partially mitigated salinity-induced stress. These findings highlight the complex interplay between salinity stress and rhizosphere effects in regulating microbial nutrient acquisition and carbon metabolism. Overall, this study demonstrates the utility of enzyme stoichiometry for evaluating microbial functional adaptation in saline habitats and provides insights that may contribute to the theoretical basis for vegetation restoration in saline-alkali ecosystems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Salt Stress Tolerance: Mechanisms and Applications)
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