Feasibility of Halophyte Domestication for High-Salinity Agriculture

Abstract

We discuss the process of domesticating wild halophytes to serve as crop plants using seawater irrigation. First steps in this domestication involve determining whether halophyte species exist that may produce signifi cant amounts of a usable product under seawater irrigation and that this is a sustainable agronomic practice. This is followed by development of strate- gies to improve crop productivity via selecting appropriate species for domestication and then affecting agronomic traits through plant breeding. We demonstrate that halophytes may be productive under seawater irriga- tion, that this management system may be sustainable, and there are dem- onstrated pathways toward domestication. Keywords