Abstract:
BACKGROUND: As important components in saline agriculture, halophytes can help to provide food for a growing world population. In addition to being potential crops in their own right, halophytes are also potential sources of salt-resistance genes that might help plant breeders and molecular biologists increase the salt tolerance of conventional crop plants. One especially promising halophyte is Suaeda salsa, a euhalophytic herb that occurs both on inland saline soils and in the intertidal zone. The species produces dimorphic seeds: black seeds are sensitive to salinity and remain dormant in light under high salt concentrations, while brown seeds can germinate under high salinity (e.g. 600 mm NaCl) regardless of light. Consequently, the species is useful for studying the mechanisms by which dimorphic seeds are adapted to saline environments. S. salsa has succulent leaves and is highly salt tolerant (e.g. its optimal NaCl concentration for growth is 200 mm). A series of S. salsa genes related to salt tolerance have been cloned and their functions tested: these include SsNHX1, SsHKT1, SsAPX, SsCAT1, SsP5CS and SsBADH. The species is economically important because its fresh branches have high value as a vegetable, and its seed oil is edible and rich in unsaturated fatty acids. Because it can remove salts and heavy metals from saline soils, S. salsa can also be used in the restoration of salinized or contaminated saline land.
METHODS: Because of its economic and ecological value in saline agriculture, S. salsa is one of the most important halophytes in China. In this review, the value of S. salsa as a source of food, medicine and forage is discussed. Its uses in the restoration of salinized or contaminated land and as a source of salt-resistance genes are also considered.
摘要:
背景:作为盐渍农业的重要组成部分,盐生植物可以帮助为不断增长的世界人口提供食物。除了本身是潜在的作物,盐生植物也是耐盐基因的潜在来源,这些基因可能有助于植物育种者和分子生物学家提高常规作物的耐盐性。一种特别有前途的盐生植物是碱蓬,一种在内陆盐渍土壤和潮间带中都有的纯盐生草本植物。该物种产生双态种子:黑色种子对盐度敏感,在高盐浓度下保持休眠状态,而棕色种子可以在高盐度(例如600mmNaCl)下发芽,无论光线如何。因此,该物种可用于研究二态种子适应盐碱环境的机制。S.salsa具有多汁的叶子并且是高度耐盐的(例如其生长的最佳NaCl浓度是200mm)。已经克隆了一系列与耐盐性相关的S.salsa基因并测试了它们的功能:这些基因包括SsNHX1,SsHKT1,SsAPX,SsCAT1、SsP5CS和SsBADH。该物种在经济上很重要,因为它的新鲜树枝作为蔬菜具有很高的价值,其种子油可食用,富含不饱和脂肪酸。因为它可以去除盐渍土壤中的盐分和重金属,S.salsa也可用于恢复盐碱化或污染的盐碱地。
方法:由于其在盐渍农业中的经济和生态价值,S.salsa是中国最重要的盐生植物之一。在这次审查中,沙司作为食物来源的价值,讨论了医学和牧草。还考虑了其在恢复盐碱化或污染土地中的用途以及作为耐盐基因的来源。