Revisiting the role of light signaling in plant responses to salt stress

Abstract As one of the grave environmental hazards, soil salinization seriously limits crop productivity, growth and development. When plants are exposed to salt stress, they suffer a sequence of damage mainly caused by osmotic stress, ion toxicity and subsequently oxidative stress. As sessile organisms, plants have developed many physiological and biochemical strategies to mitigate the impact of salt stress. These strategies include altering root development direction, shortening the life cycle, accelerating dormancy, closing stomata to reduce transpiration and decreasing biomass. Apart from being a prime energy source, light is an environmental signal, which profoundly influences plant growth and development and also participates in plants’ response to salt stress. This review summarizes the regulatory network of salt tolerance by light signals in plants, which is vital to further understanding plants’ adaptation to high salinity. In addition, the review highlights potential future uses of genetic engineering and light supplement technology by light-emitting diode (LED) to improve crop growth in saline-alkali environments in order to make full use of the vast saline land.