Salty soil is a growing threat to crops worldwide. Hotter, drier weather has increased evaporation rates, drawing moisture from the soil and leaving behind concentrated mineral salts. At the same time, water shortages are forcing farmers to irrigate using water from lower-quality, saline or recycled sources. Scientists estimate that around half of the world’s irrigated farmland is now affected by salinity to some degree.

A new study from Washington University in St. Louis reveals how a plant’s internal clock helps it to respond to dangerous salts in its environment. Understanding how plants time their defenses against salt could eventually help scientists develop crops that hold up better against salt stress.

The research, published Oct. 14 in Science Advances, was led by biologist Xuehua Zhong, the Dean’s Distinguished Professorial Scholar in WashU Arts & Sciences, and WashU postdoctoral fellow Wenwen Tian, an expert in circadian biology.