Plant responses to drought and salinity stresses

The distribution of vegetation over the earth’s surface is controlled more by the availability of water than by any other factor. Production of crops requires a reliable supply of water from either rainfall or irrigation. Increasingly agriculture, industry, and cities are competing for scarce water resources. Thus, there is great interest in developing technologies which would make it possible to use water of low quality, currently considered to be unsuitable for irrigation, such as water with high salt content. Such technologies would make it possible to raise crops on large areas where none can be raised now.