Saltgrass (Distichlis spp.) is a plant that can thrive naturally in highly saline environments. Some species produce edible grain-like seeds, making them promising candidates for future crop development.

Until now, little has been known about the genetics behind saltgrass’s high salt tolerance. New research establishes comprehensive genomic resources for two saltgrass species. The work provides a basis for neodomestication — the rapid developing of wild plants into crops using modern genomics and breeding — and improves our understanding of genome evolution in salt-tolerant grasses.

Senior author of the work, Jesse Poland, heads a research group at KAUST with a focus on developing climate-resilient crops. “We are really interested in halophytes – plants that can grow in very saline environments and have strong potential for agriculture,” he says. “In the face of expanding areas of salt-affected agricultural land, being able to domesticate a crop like saltgrass would be a game changer.”

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