Research Progress in Salt-Tolerant Rice: From Salt Tolerance Mechanisms to Industrialization

Abstract

In response to global food security challenges and the need to utilize saline-alkali land resources, research and industrialization of salt-alkali tolerant rice (commonly known as "seawater rice") have become cutting-edge hotspots in agriculture. This paper provides a systematic review of the latest advances in the field of seawater rice. First, it introduces current breeding techniques, including traditional methods and molecular breeding approaches such as QTL mapping, marker-assisted selection (MAS), and marker-assisted backcrossing (MAB), which significantly improve the efficiency and precision of introducing salt-tolerant traits into elite varieties. Furthermore, this article summarizes current cultivation management practices and the role of intercropping ecosystems in enhancing both economic and ecological benefits. Finally, the review highlights the broad prospects for the industrialization of seawater rice, while also addressing ongoing challenges, such as adaptation to complex saline-alkaline environments, balancing yield and quality improvement, and diversifying industrial models. In the future, the integration of new technologies—such as multi-omics, gene editing, and genomic selection—is expected to accelerate the development of a new generation of salt-tolerant rice varieties with high yield, superior quality, and strong stress resistance. This will provide an effective solution for ensuring global food security and improving saline-alkali land.