review · Frontiers in Plant Science
Heavy metal contamination in soil and water poses a major threat to agricultural productivity and crop quality. While some heavy metals serve as essential micronutrients in tiny amounts, excessive concentrations become highly toxic to vegetation. Plant systems respond to these harmful elements through intricate defence and balancing mechanisms across molecular, physiological, biochemical, cellular, tissue, and whole organism levels. A synthesised examination of these interactions covers the sources, natural occurrences, and agricultural consequences of heavy metal exposure, along with the influence on seed performance. It also details the transport genes involved, together with the biochemical and metabolic pathways activated by plants. Understanding these complex responses highlights the challenges and opportunities associated with managing heavy metals in farming environments, providing foundational knowledge to help mitigate toxicity and improve crop yields on contaminated lands.
Heavy metal pollution in agricultural environments directly threatens food security and crop health. Because some metals are essential nutrients that become poisonous in excess, understanding how crops respond to this balance at a cellular and molecular level is vital. This knowledge supports efforts to develop resilient farming systems and protect agricultural output in contaminated soils.
The review provides early-stage biological insights into heavy metal transport genes and plant defence pathways. These findings could inform agricultural biotechnology companies and crop breeders seeking to develop metal-tolerant crop varieties or soil remediation strategies. Because this work synthesises molecular mechanisms rather than field-ready tools, any commercial application remains at an early, discovery-oriented stage of development.
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The contamination of soil and water with high levels of heavy metals (HMs) has emerged as a significant obstacle to agricultural productivity and overall crop quality. Certain HMs, although serving as essential micronutrients, are required in smaller quantities for plant growth. However, when present in higher concentrations, they become very toxic. Several studies have shown that to balance out the harmful effects of HMs, complex systems are needed at the molecular, physiological, biochemical, cellular, tissue, and whole plant levels. This could lead to more crops being grown. Our review focused on HMs' resources, occurrences, and agricultural implications. This review will also look at how plants react to HMs and how they affect seed performance as well as the benefits that HMs provide for plants. Furthermore, the review examines HMs' transport genes in plants and their molecular, biochemical, and metabolic responses to HMs. We have also examined the obstacles and potential for HMs in plants and their management strategies.
This page summarises published work. The authoritative version sits with the publisher.
DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1423625
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