Recent Developments in Salinity Tolerance Mechanism of Chenopodium quinoa : Physiological, Biochemical, and Molecular Characterization

Salinity is one of the leading abiotic stresses affecting agricultural efficiency globally by hampering several physio‐biochemical and molecular processes. Due to salinity, 1.5 million hectares of land lost their productivity, and the total economic loss exceeds 27 billion dollars throughout the globe each year. To overcome this loss, Chenopodium quinoa (quinoa), known as facultative halophyte, could be a good solution that has the potential to survive under saline conditions. In quinoa, important attributes appear to be an efficient control of sodium sequestration in leaf vacuoles, xylem sodium loading, better potassium retention, effectual control over stomatal aperture, higher production of antioxidants and exhibited higher expression of cation transporter genes, i.e., SALT‐OVERLY‐SENSITIVE ( SOS1 ), SODIUM/HYDROGEN EXCHANGER ( NHX1 ) and POTASSIUM TRANSPORTER ( HKT1 ), AND CATION TRANSPORTER GENE , CHLORIDE CHANNEL PROTEIN ( CLC ), NITRATE‐TRANSPORTER ( NRT ), and CELL CATION CHANNELS ( SLAH ). This review summarizes the present knowledge of the salt tolerance mechanisms in quinoa under salinity stress. A brief appraisal of omics approaches to uncover the salt‐tolerance mechanismsss in quinoa has also been presented. Salinity tolerance in quinoa involves multiple genes, such as SOS1 , NHX1 , HKT1 , and P5CS , that can be transferred to other crop species to enhance their ion regulation, osmotic adjustment, and overall salt stress tolerance.