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Review
. 2021 Apr 22;10(5):353.
doi: 10.3390/biology10050353.

Protection of Halophytes and Their Uses for Cultivation of Saline-Alkali Soil in China

Lili Liu  1 , Baoshan Wang  1
Affiliations
Review

Protection of Halophytes and Their Uses for Cultivation of Saline-Alkali Soil in China

Lili Liu et al. Biology (Basel). .

Abstract

Over 800 million hectares of arable lands are affected by salinity in the world. In China, saline-alkali soils account for 25% of farmland and are underutilized. One sustainable strategy to make better use of saline land is to plant halophytes, salt-tolerant plants that can survive and complete their life cycle in media containing more than 200 mM NaCl. Halophytes have potential economic value as grain, vegetable, fruit, medicine, animal feed, and biofuel feedstocks, and in greening and coastal protection. Therefore, the cultivation and protection of halophytes is very important. In the past few decades, a lot of work has been done on the protection and utilization of halophytes in saline soil improvement and development worldwide. This article focuses on the distribution of saline-alkali conditions and current measures to protect halophytes, as well as the application of halophytes in the sustainable development of saline-alkali land. This information is helpful for protection and utilization of halophytes in the sustainable development of saline land worldwide.

Keywords: halophytes; protection; saline-alkali land; sustainable utilization.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Distribution of saline soils in China. 1. Extremely arid saline soil in inland basin; 2. arid saline soil area of inland basin; 3. semi-arid saline soil area of Inner Mongolia Plateau; 4. semi-arid and semi-humid saline soil area in Northeast Plain; 5. semi-arid and semi-humid saline soil area of Huanghuaihai Plain; 6. coastal saline soil area; 7. alpine and arid saline soil area of Tibet Plateau; 8. tropical and subtropical salt marsh area.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Representative species of halophytes applied in China.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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