Combined salinity and waterlogging stress in plants: limitations and tolerance mechanisms

Abstract Global food security is at risk due to multiple factors; however, abiotic stresses such as salinity and waterlogging largely contribute toward the crop growth reductions and yield losses particularly in the irrigated lands. These two stresses are interlinked and, thus, coexist at most of the places. Concurrent occurrence of salinity and waterlogging stresses is more detrimental for plant growth and development compared with any of the individual stress. Both salinity and waterlogging decrease the seed germination, inhibit biomass accumulation and photosynthetic rate, disturb plant–water relation, and cause ion toxicity in plants. However, plants adopt different mechanisms to cope with the severe effects of combined salinity and waterlogging stress. The present chapter critically discusses the morphological, physiological, biochemical, and molecular responses of plants to the combined occurrence of salinity and waterlogging stress and briefly highlights the adaptive mechanisms by plants against these stress factors.