Tobacco

Freshwater salinization and expanding desertification threaten global agriculture. Promise lies in salt resistance genes found in Salicornia europaea, a halophyte that thrives in high-salt conditions partly due to protein action. We focused one of its genes, SeNN24. It enhanced salt resistance in yeast and shows promise in improving crop resilience. Our research introduced SeNN24 into tobacco via agrobacterial transformation, testing the plants under salt and drought conditions. The transformed tobacco showed superior tolerance of up to 400mM NaCl and drought, maintaining health and even flowering under stress. This suggests that SeNN24 could potentially confer significant salt and drought resistance to vital crops, protecting them from environmental challenges and enhancing agricultural sustainability.