Salt Stress in Brassica: Effects, Tolerance Mechanisms, and Management

Brassica genus includes several agronomically important brassica species, and their yield performance is being affected by salt stress. Salt stress considerably reduces Brassica species growth and development by disrupting photosynthesis, leaf gas exchange, vegetative, and reproductive growth. Nonetheless, Brassica exhibits numerous salt stress tolerating mechanisms, and by targeting such potential traits, further improvement in overall salt stress tolerance in brassica can be achieved. Brassica can tolerate salt stress by accumulating organic and inorganic osmolytes, efficient Na+ exclusion, and better K+ retention ability. Recent studies have also proposed a strong role of ROS as a signaling element to enhance salt stress tolerance in Brassica. Thus, the response and tolerance mechanisms are profiled, and the possible management options to mitigate the severity of salt stress are also reviewed.

Automated summary

The Brassica species are negatively affected by salt stress, which disrupts their growth and development. However, they exhibit tolerance mechanisms such as organic and inorganic osmolyte accumulation and efficient ion exclusion, with recent studies highlighting the role of ROS in enhancing salt stress tolerance.