Role of Transporters in Accumulating Salt Ions by Halophytes

Ionic stress is the major component of salinity and is brought about by excess ions accumulation, especially in the aerial parts of plants. Salinization is the major problem affecting crop productivity. The effective way to understand, to cope the salt effectiveness and increase crop productivity is to study the tolerance mechanism of halophytes. Halophytes always have a remarkable ability to tolerate salinity that is dangerous for most other crops. This chapter summarizes the present knowledge about ions absorption, accumulations and transportation patterns in halophytes under salinity. Moreover, the role of sodium (Na+), potassium (K+), chloride (Cl−) and calcium (Ca+) transporters and channels in uptake and translocation of these ions has been shown and discussed. It is concluded that further studies are needed to better understand the ions transportation in halophytes and to explore the novel regulatory pathways, which augment the complexity of salt ions and could increase tolerance under salinity.