Remarks on the string dual to N=1 supersymmetric QCD

We study the string dual to N=1 supersymmetric QCD deformed by a quartic superpotential in the quark superfields. We present a unified view of the previous results in the literature and find new exact solutions and new asymptotic solutions. Then we study the physics encoded in these backgrounds, giving, among other things, a resolution to an old puzzle related to the beta function and a sufficient criteria for screening. We also extend our results to the SO(Nc) case where we present a candidate for the Wilson loop in the spinorial representation. Various aspects of this line of research are critically analyzed.