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Essay On Plants In Plants

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Halophytes have been closely studied for many years since they were discovered, yet there is still not enough that is known about the biology of these plants and have been given countless varying definitions over time as more information is discovered (Grigore et al., 2014). The earth’s surface is made up of 72% of its water mass being of specifically high salinity (Flowers and Colmer, 2014). Something else to consider is that 7-10% of land is affected by levels of high salinity, mainly as a result of our impact on poor irrigation. (Grigore et al., 2014; Munns 2005, referenced in Joshi et al., 2015; Bromham, 2014). This information might be able to inspire us to find out how these plants can potentially be of great assistance to us in the …show more content…

Habitat-indifferent halophytes are as suggested indifferent to their habitat, yet again preferring a soil that is low in salinity. This type is defined as having a tolerance to salinity (Grigore et al 2014; Mishra et al 2017). Osmotic adjustment is a very important aspect of a plant's saline adaptability. By increasing solute concentrations, they lower their water potential, thus continuously attracting water throughout the plant which is needed with increasing salinity (Touchette et al., 2009, as cited in Joshi et al., 2015; Flowers and Colmer 2008). Na+ and Cl- are the major ions absorbed by halophytes (Flowers et al., 2010) and they are predominantly what halophytes will use for their osmotic adjustment. It is very important for them to keep the concentration of these ions at an ideal level for the purpose of osmotic adjustment, which is where ion compartmentalisation takes place in the vacuoles (Joshi et al., 2015; Flowers and Colmer, 2008; Flowers et al., 2010). As halophytes have larger vacuoles than glycophytes, they have the ability to store higher concentrations of Na+ and Cl-. As they are able to store these amounts of NaCl there is a need for organic solutes to be created that are compatible with these ions to balance the osmotic potential of mentioned stored ions (Joshi et al., 2014; Flowers and Colmer, 2008). Of course, the levels of ion compartmentalisation vary between species because as mentioned before, there are different levels of

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