Marius Nicusor Grigore, Ph.D.
Salinisation is currently one of the biggest problems facing Earth agriculture. In a continuous increase of world population, obtaining of salt tolerant crops represents a true priority. Halophytes have been defined as salt-tolerant plants having therefore, cellular, biochemical, physiological and anatomical mechanisms allowing them to survive in high salinity conditions. This work represents an anatomical and ecological monograph of halophyte species from Moldova (North-Eastern Romania), representing the results of investigations conducted over many years. Thus, 26 taxa were investigated; these species belong to different botanical families and constitute a heterogeneous group of plants collected from different saline - some dry, others wet habitats. Ecological anatomy approach involves a correlation between structure and habitat, between certain well-defined anatomical adaptations and some environmental factors such as salinity, soil moisture or dryness. In some cases, finding such correlations has been proved facile, while in other cases, some anatomical adaptations remain controversial, because their function is not fully elucidated. In the introductory part of the book, we have discussed some theoretical issues related to definition and classification of halophytes and the relationship between halophytes and salt stress, the latter one being one of the most intensely studied in plant biology field. We are keeping open the question whether anatomical adaptations of halophytes are the result of formative effect of salts, salt stress damage or an expression of positive adaptation, allowing plants to withstand in hypersaline environments. The proper part of the work refers to the histo-anatomical study of halophyte species. Ecological interpretations were made whenever possible, in concordance with the evidenced and discussed structure. As a general rule, we have seen that in most cases, histo-anatomical features are logically linked to environmental factors, thus
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