Halophytes as Alternative Food and Cash Crops for Future Sustainability

The widespread occurrence of salt-affected soils is a major problem that adversely impacts crop yield and food security in the arid and semi-arid tropics and coastal regions. Most of our conventional crop species are glycophytes, which get adversely affected under saline conditions, but several edible plant species flourish well in the presence of salts. Thus, exploring plant species that are halophytes or halo-tolerant with nutritive or economic value that may be used as food or cash crops becomes important. Such halophytic species generally show good mineral composition, vitamins, carbohydrates and several secondary metabolites with high health benefits. The present chapter discusses various halophytes or halo-tolerant plant species that have the potential to be used as food crops or cash crops in salt-affected soils without additional inputs of fertilisers, pesticides or fresh water requirements for irrigation. The use of halophytes as food in the form of leafy green salads, cereals, fruits, vegetables or fodder has been found to hold great promise for future sustainability. Their use as medicinal plants, oil-yielding seeds and sources of bioenergy or biofuels has added further value to their cultivation as cash crops. Increasing focus on millets, quinoa and many other halo-tolerant plant species at the international level has opened new avenues of growth for our marginal farmers and sell their produce of halophyte food and cash crops to a wider market. Growing halophytes in saline soils will cater to many of our sustainable development goals oriented to remove poverty and hunger, promote renewable energy and aid in good health and conservation of biotic resources and soil.