6. What else can halophytes teach us?

Halophytes play an important role in the restoration of saline soils, coastal protection against erosion, phytoremediation, and offer potential for agriculture in regions with saline soils. Their adaptation to saline conditions is an important area of research for understanding the biological mechanisms of salt tolerance and for exploring their potential use in various agricultural and environmental applications. In this context, current research on halophytes could provide some crucial answers in the coming years or decades concerning:

• selection of salt-accumulating halophyte genotypes for use in phytoremediation of contaminated soil or water;

• the selection of halophyte genotypes that hyper-produce compounds of medical interest, in an attempt to solve certain major public health problems (combating antibiotic-resistant...