Tuned to survive: Salt stress induced changes in Arabidopsis

Plants are flexible organisms, with the potential to develop a plethora of morphological variants depending on the growth conditions to which they are exposed. This morphological flexibility enabled plants to colonize almost every corner of the globe and to survive in the harshest conditions. Our tribal ancestors exploited the flexibility of plants by developing the first agricultural systems in various environmental conditions. Today modern agriculture and elite crop varieties provide food and renewable energy resources for the entire world population. However, with the ever-growing human population the demand for food is constantly on the rise, while the arable grounds are becoming scarce due to urbanization, irresponsible agricultural activities in the past and climate change (FAO, 2012). In order to meet future demands, an increase in plant yield in environmentally harsh conditions is essential. An increase in soil salinity is one of the major abiotic factors limiting the yield of elite crop varieties and causing loss of arable areas. Majority of the plants are not able to grow in saline conditions and show severe growth reduction in response to salt stress. In this thesis, I describe the effect of salt stress on Arabidopsis thaliana.