Salinity Stress in Maize: Effects of Stress and Recent Developments of Tolerance for Improvement

Abstract

Soil salinity has emerged as a global threat to sustainability of farming systems by deteriorating the quality and productivity of crops particularly in the coastal regions of the world. Although, as a C4 plant, maize (Zea mays L.) has ability to tolerate a medium level of salinity; but initial growth stages of maize are sensitive to salinity stress. Therefore, it is crucial to expand our understanding pertaining to maize response to salt stress and tolerance mechanisms for devising approaches to enhance maize adaptability in saline environments. Moreover, maize crop undergoes several physiological changes and adapts some mechanism to overcome the salinity stress. Different mitigation strategies like application of chemicals, plant growth-promoting hormones, and use of genetic and molecular techniques are used to manage salinity and may ensure crop productivity under changing climate. This chapter aimed to assess the recent advancement pertaining to salinity stress influence on the physio-biochemical processes in maize and to draw the relationship between yield components and salinity stress. In addition, current study also highlights research gaps by focusing the seed enhancement techniques, phytohormones exogenous application and genetic improvement of maize under soil salinity.

Characterization of Maize Hybrids (Zea mays L.) for Detecting Salt Tolerance Based on Morpho-Physiological Characteristics, Ion Accumulation and Genetic Variability at Early Vegetative Stage

“…It has been reported that soil salinity is one of the significant threats to maize production worldwide [31]. In general, maize shows decreased germination rate, stunted growth, reduced photosynthesis and less productivity under salinity stress [32,33]. However, maize production needs to be doubled, even under salinity stress, by 2050 to meet the ever-increasing demand of maize as a fundamental foodstuff [34].…”

Improvement of Nutrient Content, Physiological Traits and Grain Yield of Maize Varieties Grown in Saline Soil by Combining Biochar, Mycorrhizal Fungi and Silicon Foliar Application

“…It has been reported that the use of Bch affects the absorption of nutrients and water and causes an increase in RWC and a decrease in ion leakage under salinity stress conditions . Also, the combination of Bch and AMF improves growth and water absorption by inducing the expression of speci c genes and balancing plant hormones [52][53][54][55][56][57][58][59][60].…”

Salinity stress mitigation on Zea mays L. seedling by halotolerant bacteria

“…Salinity decreases the growth and grain yield of Z. mays while there is no application of mitigating strategies. The most critical phases for plant development are germination and seedling growth, and maize is more sensitive to salinity at these stages [5,6].…”