Development of halophytes as energy feedstock by applying genetic manipulations

Abstract

Decreasing arable land and fresh water resources, and increasing soil salinization and production of energy from food crops pose a threat to plant productivity and caused several environmental problems. Using plant species which can grow on saline degraded soils for energy production can be a sustainable approach because they do not compete for the agricultural lands and availability of fresh water. These plants can be cultivated with seawater without compromising their biomass for commercializing purposes such as lignocellulosic content and seed yields and could strongly benefit as energy plants. Optimizing biomass production and its economic conversion to the end product are, however, of paramount importance. The biomass of halophytes can be improved through studying unexplored aspects of these plants related to genetic manipulations. Here, we recommended current advances and highlight the key genetic approaches required in halophytes for biofuel production. Genetic approaches might lead to desired alterations in the composition of halophytic lignocellulosic biomass, including higher quantity of cellulose and hemicelluloses and lower lignin. In summary, the genetic manipulations in halophytes might lead to improvement in biomass compositions hence can be used as a feedstock for the production of biofuel on nutrient poor degraded soils.