The Critical Role of Jasmonic Acid to Induce Salt Tolerance and Improve Crop Productivity: Review and Prospective

Salinity stress (SS) poses a serious threat to crop productivity and global food security. Its extent is continuously rising, which is a major challenge in the face of a growing population. Therefore, it is essential to find ways to improve crop production under rising SS. The application of phyto-hormones has shown appreciable results in improving the plant's growth under stress conditions. Jasmonic acid (JA) is involved in different signaling transduction to regulate plant functioning in response to stress conditions. Jasmonic acid protects plants against SS by protecting cellular membranes, improving water and nutrient uptake, osmolyte synthesis, and antioxidant activities. It also improves gene expression and works in conjunction with other hormones through a signaling cascade to ensure better plant growth and development under SS. The present review offers the recent progress made in understanding the role of JA in mitigating the salinity stress in plants. We have comprehensively discussed the different mechanisms induced by JA to counter SS and ensure better plant performance. This review also discusses the current issues and future research directions in plant responses against SS.