Improving salt tolerance in rice: Looking beyond the conventional

Abstract

Several factors in the intensive cropping system have played significant role in deteriorating soil health in general. soil salinization is one of the major issues threatening crop productivity in major irrigated rice growing areas of the world. Salinity is a serious issue in rice, the crop that feeds half the world, since it is sensitive to salt accumulation. With the world population growing incessantly, there is an urgent need to increase rice productivity especially in salinized lands as well as to reutilize lands that are rendered unproductive due to salt accumulation. It is therefore essential to develop varieties that are phenologically capable of sustaining excess salt throughout its life span and produce higher yield. Although there is sufficient variability in rice germplasm for salt tolerance, conventional breeding has been far less fruitful in addressing this complex problem. With the deeper understanding of the intricate mechanisms of salt tolerance and the array of genes and useable quantitative trait loci that are being discovered, the breeding scenario towards salt tolerant rice is poised to take a more productive turn in near future. This chapter outlines the latest developments in rice breeding towards salt tolerance through employment of modern molecular techniques in conjunction with the conventional breeding approaches.