Physiological, biochemical, and comparative genome analysis of salt and drought stress impact on date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.): tolerance mechanism and management

Drought and salinity are the two most critical environmental stresses negatively affecting plant productivity and quality, with overlapping mechanisms. The majority of plant species are sensitive to these constraints that, over the past decades, have increased as a result of climatic changes. Salt and drought affected lands are increasing at an alarming rate and have already reached about 62 million ha (20%) of the world's irrigated land, mainly in arid and semi-arid areas. Date palm is a recognized important nutritious fruit crop whose production is ultimately affected by environmental threats (particularly salinity and drought) that are lowering yield and fruit quality. This review is focused on the current knowledge of the impact that drought and salt stresses, singularly or in combination, have on date palm growth, fruit yield, and quality traits. Agronomic and stay-green attributes, hormonal impact, and biotechnological approaches have been explored. The role of osmo-protectants, mineral and ion homeostasis, exogenous protectants, antioxidant compounds, antioxidant activities, transgenic approaches, breeding strategies, functional genomics, and omics technology in salinity and drought tolerance is also discussed. Lastly, we have explored perspectives and technologies to enhance salt tolerance mechanism in date palm, thoroughly examining these aspects with the aim of providing valuable insights to optimize the future cultivation of date palm.