Breeding rice for salinity tolerance and salt-affected soils in Africa
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Date
2024
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group
Abstract
Salinity is one of the main factors that limit rice production globally. In Sub Saharan Africa, soil
salinity has affected many countries. Understanding the available screening techniques and the
mechanisms of salinity tolerance in rice is very important for dealing with soil salinity problem.
This review summarizes the extent of soil salinity problems in some of the affected African
countries and the available salt stress-tolerant rice genotypes. The problems, challenges and
opportunities of salt-affected soils in Sub Saharan Africa are thoroughly described in this
review, which also looks at breeding techniques which have been used for developing rice
cultivars adapted to salt stress. Among the best option to deal with salinity-related problems
is through the use of tolerant rice varieties, as many other available management approaches
are not economically feasible for small-scale farmers. Also, the review discusses different
approaches, both conventional and molecular breeding approaches that have greatly enhanced
the current rice breeders’ toolboxes for developing salt-tolerant rice varieties. The review
suggests that more efforts are required to leverage conventional breeding with molecular
techniques for speedy identification of tolerant cultivars, useful markers and quantitative trait
loci (Qt Ls). It is recommended that it is crucial to reinforce collaborative efforts and continuous
investment in research, capacity building, and knowledge sharing for developing improved rice
tolerant cultivars in order to fully address salinity problems in African.
Description
Journal article
Keywords
Breeding techniques, rice, salinity stress, salt-affected soils, tolerance mechanisms
Citation
Nafeti Titus Mheni, Newton Kilasi, Fergie Ann Quiloy, Maria Cristina Heredia, Atugonza Bilaro, Joel Meliyo, Shalabh Dixit & Susan Nchimbi Msolla (2024) Breeding rice for salinity tolerance and salt-affected soils in Africa: a review, Cogent Food & Agriculture, 10:1, 2327666, DOI: 10.1080/23311932.2024.2327666