(Hordeum vulgare) and the date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) can tolerate about 5 g/L, and can be considered as marginal halophytes. Adaptation to saline environments by halophytes may take the form of salt tolerance or salt avoidance. Plants that avoid the effects of high salt even though they live in a saline environment may be referred to as facultative halophytes rather than 'true', or obligatory, halophytes. For example, a short-lived plant species that completes its reproductive life cycle during periods (such as a rainy season) when the salt concentration is low would be avoiding salt rather than tolerating it. Or a plant species may maintain a 'normal' internal salt concentration by excreting excess salts through its leaves, by way of salt glands, or by concentrating salts salt bladders in leaves that later die and drop off. In an effort to improve agricultural production in regions where crops are exposed to salinity, research is focused on improving understanding of the various mechanisms whereby plants respond to salinity stress, so that more robust crop halophytes may be developed. Adaptive responses to salinity stress have been identified at molecular, cellular, metabolic, and physiological levels. Examples Some halophytes are: Uses Biofuel Some halophytes are being studied for use as "3rd-generation" biofuel precursors. Halophytes such as Salicornia bigelovii can be grown in harsh environments and typically do not compete with food crops for resources, making them promising sources of biodiesel or bioalcohol. Phytoremediation Halophytes like Suaeda salsa can store salt ions and rare-earth elements absorbed from soils in their tissues. Halophytes can therefore be used in Phytoremediation measures to adjust salinity levels of surrounding soils. These measures aim to allow glycophytes to survive in previously uninhabitable areas through an environmentally safe, and cost effective process. A higher concentration of halophyte plants in one area leads to higher salt uptake and lower soil salinity levels. Different species of halophytes have different absorption capabilities. Three different halophyte species (Atriplex patula, Atriplex hortensis, and Atriplex canescans) have been found to rehabilitate soils contaminated with road salt over varying lengths of time. See also References Salt marsh plants Aquatic ecology Plant ecology