{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,27]],"date-time":"2026-08-27T09:23:56Z","timestamp":1787822636544,"version":"build-2784847793"},"reference-count":47,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"17","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,27]],"date-time":"2026-08-27T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1787788800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"China National Key R&D Program","award":["2022YFE0113400"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2022YFE0113400"]}]},{"name":"Jiangsu Provincial Fund for Realizing Carbon Emission Peaking and Neutralization","award":["BE2022305-1"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["BE2022305-1"]}]},{"name":"Jiangsu Provincial Key R & D Program","award":["BE2023345"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["BE2023345"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Plants"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Salinity is a growing problem for cereal cultivation because it imposes multiple stresses, including osmotic, ionic, nutritional, and oxidative constraints, on the crop. Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) is considered a climate-smart C4 cereal for food, feed, fodder, forage, and bioenergy, but recent studies indicate that salinity continues to hinder establishment, biomass formation, reproductive growth, and yield. This review compiles the literature on the impacts of salinity on sorghum from 2021 to 2026, with a focus on germination, vegetative growth, physiological and biochemical responses, ion homeostasis, genetic control, productivity, mitigation, and future breeding priorities. In total, 160 records were identified, 118 records were screened after duplicate removal, and 44 recent sources were included in the synthesis. Across comparable sorghum studies, saline\/NaCl treatments of approximately 60\u2013200 mM commonly reduced germination by about 20\u201340%, root and shoot elongation by 25\u201350%, and biomass by 20\u201355%, while tolerant genotypes generally maintained higher K+\/Na+ balance, 40\u201360% greater biomass retention, or two- to five-fold stronger ion homeostasis indicators than sensitive lines under similar conditions. Salt stress also lowers leaf expansion, chlorophyll stability, gas exchange, dry matter accumulation, panicle fertility, and grain filling. Tolerant genotypes show greater antioxidant potential, osmotic adjustment, photosynthetic stability, and root system resilience. Recent omics and genome-wide association studies suggest that salinity tolerance in sorghum is polygenic and involves genes related to ion transport, stress signalling, antioxidant regulation, osmolyte metabolism, and growth maintenance. This review recommends a shift from descriptive trait lists to full-cycle field validation, multi-trait selection indices, and integrated packages combining breeding with seed priming, soil water management, amendments, and beneficial microorganisms.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/plants15172612","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,27]],"date-time":"2026-08-27T09:00:35Z","timestamp":1787821235000},"page":"2612","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Advances in Understanding Salt Stress Effects on Growth and Productivity in Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench)"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"Xiaoqian","family":"Guo","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"College for Overseas Education, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China"},{"name":"Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology, Agricultural College, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Fadwa Bakhiet Hamid","family":"Musa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology, Agricultural College, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China"},{"name":"Joint International Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hailu","family":"Zhu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology, Agricultural College, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China"},{"name":"Joint International Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jianwen","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology, Agricultural College, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China"},{"name":"Joint International Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Shangkun","family":"Lai","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Suqian Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Jiangsu Academic of Agricultural Sciences, Suqian 223800, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Omer Idris Musa","family":"Olom","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Forestry and Range Sciences, Faculty of Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, University of Kordofan, El Obeid 51111, Sudan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Guisheng","family":"Zhou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College for Overseas Education, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China"},{"name":"Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology, Agricultural College, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China"},{"name":"Joint International Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,27]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"FAO (2024). 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