The United Nations (2017) reported that the world population will increase from the current 7.6 billion to 9.8 billion by 2050, therefore food production will need to be increased by 60 %. Already today, approximately 10.9% of the world population is malnourished (FAO, 2018). This figure is expected to increase as arable land is decreasing due to increases in non-agricultural developments and soil salinity caused by poor soil and irrigation management, global warming, climate change, rising sea ​​level and land subsidence, which pose a threat to food production. . Approximately 50% of arable land worldwide is already affected by salinity (Waqas et al., 2018). With increasing pressure to produce more food to feed a growing population, improving agricultural production, particularly salt-tolerant crops, continues to represent a crucial challenge. This investigation will demonstrate how scientific knowledge and understanding of advanced genetic engineering in genome editing can enable scientists to find solutions to develop salt-tolerant crops. The limits of scientific research and the impacts on social, economic and environmental consequences will also be discussed. (2) Related Life Sciences - Salt Toxicity and Plant Growth Excess salt (NaCl) in soil affects normal plant growth due to osmotic stress which reduces the ability of plants to absorb sufficient water, causing wilting of plant cells and slowing down growth (Figure 1). Furthermore, excess salinity ions induce the accumulation of Na+ and Cl- ions in leaves, causing severe ionic imbalance and stress in cells. A high concentration of Na+ inhibits the uptake of K+ ion, a vital element for plant growth, resulting in leaf “burning” and even death, as shown in Figure 2 (Prince, 2016). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Modifying salt-affected soils to suit crops and (2) Using salt-affected soils to grow naturally salt-tolerant plants (halophytes) and research into developing new salt-tolerant cultivars (Ashraf et al., 2008). With the first strategy, there are various means of amending salt-affected soils, including leaching, drip irrigation, subsoil drainage, and improvement. Leaching uses water to drain excess salts from the root zone to the lower layers of the soil. Careful management of drip irrigation reduces the effects of salt by keeping soils moist which promotes stable leaching. An adequate underground drainage system carries excess water and salts out of the area. Fertilizers containing chemicals such as gypsum, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium sulfate are used to improve the soil. (PMC, 2014; Agriculture and Food, 2016). However, the limitations of this strategy are that it is not economically sustainable and potentially harmful to the environment. Fertilizers are expensive, building an effective irrigation system across a large agricultural area requires large capital investments, and leaching could increase salinity in groundwater and river systems (SA Government, 2017). Researchers are focusing on the second strategy to improve halophyte growth and generate salt-tolerant cultivars, instead of expensive soil restoration measures to amend the soil. Since the 1960s, scientists have been conducting experiments with the goal of discovering new thingstechniques to improve crop growth in saline environments and to develop new salt-tolerant crops using genetic engineering technology. Conventional breeding and molecular biology techniques were used in the research for DNA-based markers to screen genotypes. Genetic mapping and quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis, selecting desirable traits from higher plants and breeding them to create new and improved traits, have demonstrated success in improving salt resistance in some crops in recent years (Lema- Ruminska et al., 2004; Different plants respond to salt stress differently. Scientists have observed the development of specific genes and proteins and the influence of metabolites in the salt tolerance mechanisms of different model plants (Zhang & Shi, 2013). The discovery and understanding of how gene editing develops salt tolerance in plants has allowed scientists to successfully apply the knowledge to resilient crops such as alfalfa, durum wheat, and rice (Large et al., 2006; Ashraf and Akram , 2009). According to Zhang and Wang (2015), rstB transgenic alfalfa plants can successfully increase calcium accumulation which acts as a mechanism to resist salt stress. It has been confirmed that RSTB transene "can be used as a molecular culture for salt tolerance of crops." Genetically modified salt-tolerant alfalfa is a highly nutritious perennial legume containing high concentrations of vitamins B, C, D and E. It is more easily digestible and is used primarily as feed for animals, particularly dairy cattle, with a small quantities for the commercial production of vitamins. It is resistant to herbicides and thus reduces insect infestation, can produce higher yields than conventional alfalfa by around 17%, which can be influenced by many factors such as seed variety, weather and soil conditions and the availability of water (Fernandez-Cornejo et al., 2016). Wheat: the new durum wheat gene TmHKT1;5-A containing the salt-resistant gene produces a protein that expels Na+ from leaf cells which influences the photosynthesis process of plants (University of Adelaide, 2012). It can grow well in both standard and saline conditions. However, in a saline environment, the yield increases by approximately 25%. Its ability to resist saline stress allows farmers to have the option of using only one type of this durum wheat per paddock, even if the soil may contain some saline parts. Based on the discovery, scientists are able to make a reliable prediction that durum wheat containing the salt tolerance gene could outperform its parent wheat under saline conditions. It also helps in further research to crossbreed the salt-resistant gene into bread wheat, a larger crop than durum wheat (Vincent, 2012; University of Adelaide, 2012). Rice After years of failed research, a new species of salt-tolerant rice of better quality and higher yields than normal crops has been developed with CRISPR/Cas technology, cutting parts of DNA, modifying codes and modifying genes (Wallheimer , 2018; Haskins, 2018). It can produce a much higher yield, above 50%, than normal non-salt tolerant crops, has better quality and taste, and is healthier to eat as the salt in the soil acts as a natural pesticide and kills bacteria. The huge increase in yield, if sustainable, will be good news for both farmers and the world as it will be able to produce more grains to feed the vast majority of the world's population, with rice being the staple food. However, an environmental impactnegative is that once the land has been converted to saltwater cultivation, the soil becomes saline and only salt-resistant plants can be grown there. As for production, scientists have yet to determine whether it is ready for production. From a cost perspective, it will be expensive for most people, unless the price can be brought down to an affordable level. So far, these GMO crops have all demonstrated higher nutritional quality, higher yield, greater salt tolerance, herbicide and pesticide resistance, with less maintenance than the parent crops. Genetic engineering has been shown to be an efficient approach for developing salt-tolerant plants, and this approach is expected to become more powerful as more candidate genes associated with salinity tolerance are identified and widely used (Zhang & Shi, 2013, ). . Limitations in the research However, there are also limitations. Although some progress has been made, very few new salt-tolerant crops have been developed (Chinnusamy, et al., 2005). The main challenges are time and labor costs, along with unforeseen consequences such as the transfer of unwanted genes with desired traits. Although wild relatives of crops may provide an abundant source of salt-tolerant genes for incorporation into domesticated crops, reproductive barriers are not so easy to overcome as there are more failures than successes in research over the past few decades and scientific technology has yet to be further improved. Furthermore, because the experiments were conducted primarily under controlled laboratory conditions, results may change under actual field conditions with varying levels of salt and other environmental factors (e.g., climate and soil fertility) (Yamaguchi & Blumwald, 2005). **Collaboration between scientists is essentially necessary in scientific research**Perhaps, the main obstacle could be that our cultivated plants have lost their natural resistance to the salt-affected environment due to many years of breeding. (Emmerich, 2017). (4) Social, economic and environmental impacts Research on improving crop growth in saline environments can have significant impacts on social, economic and environmental considerations. The successful improvement of salt tolerance of crops and the development of new salt-tolerant crop species with high-quality nutrients and yields will make a huge contribution to food varieties and food production to prevent the global food crisis. Salt-tolerant crops will become increasingly important as the environment continues to be affected by increasing levels of salinity in soil and water systems, and arable land for normal crops decreases. Furthermore, increased agricultural activities in salt-affected areas will also stimulate employment growth. , thus benefiting society in many ways both socially and economically. Scientists usually publish their research and findings on websites like ScienceDirect and Phys. org with open access to communicate, keep the public updated and share their findings to raise awareness of the current challenge of food scarcity. However, economic policies often encourage only a narrow range of traditional stable crops for export markets, but not research into new salt-tolerant crops that require substantial financial support, but with uncertain results. Furthermore, political influence could complicate progress in the search for new crop species due to export pressure, once again, on agricultural products (Yamaguchi &.