Toxicity and Detoxification of Heavy Metals in Plants

A special issue of Biology (ISSN 2079-7737). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (29 February 2024) | Viewed by 2862

Special Issue Editors

1. Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, Salento University, 73100 Lecce, Italy
2. Centro Ecotekne via Provinciale Lecce Monteroni, 73100 Lecce, Italy
Interests: mechanisms of mineral nutrient uptake in plants; impact of heavy metals on plant nutrient homeostasis; role of the rhizosphere microbiome in plant nutrient and heavy metal dynamics; sustainable agricultural practices for managing mineral nutrition and mitigating heavy metal stress
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Heavy metal (HM) pollution, as a consequence of geological and anthropogenic activities, affects many regions worldwide. It is mainly released from industrial activities, mining, agriculture, and plastic manufacturing and negatively affects human health, such as cancer, neurological and pulmonary diseases, etc. Numerous human activities increase the concentration of heavy metals, and the most common traceable ones in the soil are arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury, nickel, zinc and copper. The investigations on the molecular mechanisms, genetics, plant physiology, and morphological and structural modifications are fundamental to understanding the strategies implemented by plants to achieve a double objective: preserve the food chain from HM contamination and, on the contrary, use plants to recover polluted areas.

This special issue aims to collect research publications on the accumulation and compartmentalisation of heavy metals, molecular response systems and defence, detoxification, and phytoremediation.

Prof. Dr. Luigi De Bellis
Dr. Alessio Aprile
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • heavy metals
  • phytoremediation
  • toxicity
  • tolerance
  • tetoxification
  • heavy metal accumulation
  • cell and tissue compartmentalisation

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 2276 KiB  
Article
Metal Interactions in the Ni Hyperaccumulating Population of Noccaea caerulescens Monte Prinzera
by Elisa Fasani, Anita Zamboni, Daniela Sorio, Antonella Furini and Giovanni DalCorso
Biology 2023, 12(12), 1537; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology12121537 - 18 Dec 2023
Viewed by 1364
Abstract
Hyperaccumulation is a fascinating trait displayed by a few plant species able to accumulate large amounts of metal ions in above-ground tissues without symptoms of toxicity. Noccaea caerulescens is a recognized model system to study metal hyperaccumulation and hypertolerance. A N. caerulescens population [...] Read more.
Hyperaccumulation is a fascinating trait displayed by a few plant species able to accumulate large amounts of metal ions in above-ground tissues without symptoms of toxicity. Noccaea caerulescens is a recognized model system to study metal hyperaccumulation and hypertolerance. A N. caerulescens population naturally growing on a serpentine soil in the Italian Apennine Mountains, Monte Prinzera, was chosen for the study here reported. Plants were grown hydroponically and treated with different metals, in excess or limiting concentrations. Accumulated metals were quantified in shoots and roots by means of ICP-MS. By real-time PCR analysis, the expression of metal transporters and Fe deficiency-regulated genes was compared in the shoots and roots of treated plants. N. caerulescens Monte Prinzera confirmed its ability to hypertolerate and hyperaccumulate Ni but not Zn. Moreover, excess Ni does not induce Fe deficiency as in Ni-sensitive species and instead competes with Fe translocation rather than its uptake. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Toxicity and Detoxification of Heavy Metals in Plants)
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21 pages, 4067 KiB  
Article
Assessment of Drought and Zinc Stress Tolerance of Novel Miscanthus Hybrids and Arundo donax Clones Using Physiological, Biochemical, and Morphological Traits
by Monirul Islam, Andrea Ferrarini, Amjad Ali, Jason Kam, Luisa M. Trindade, John Clifton-Brown and Stefano Amaducci
Biology 2023, 12(12), 1525; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology12121525 - 14 Dec 2023
Viewed by 1022
Abstract
High-yield potential perennial crops, such as Miscanthus spp. and Arundo donax are amongst the most promising sources of sustainable biomass for bioproducts and bioenergy. Although several studies assessed the agronomic performance of these species on diverse marginal lands, research to date on drought [...] Read more.
High-yield potential perennial crops, such as Miscanthus spp. and Arundo donax are amongst the most promising sources of sustainable biomass for bioproducts and bioenergy. Although several studies assessed the agronomic performance of these species on diverse marginal lands, research to date on drought and zinc (Zn) resistance is scarce. Thus, the objective of this study was to investigate the drought and Zn stress tolerance of seven novel Miscanthus hybrids and seven Arundo clones originating from different parts of Italy. We subjected both species to severe drought (less than 30%), and Zn stress (400 mg/kg−1 of ZnSO4) separately, after one month of growth. All plants were harvested after 28 days of stress, and the relative drought and Zn stress tolerance were determined by using a set of morpho-physio-biochemical and biomass attributes in relation to stress tolerance indices (STI). Principal component analysis (PCA), hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA) and stress tolerance indices (STI) were performed for each morpho-physio-biochemical and biomass parameters and showed significant relative differences among the seven genotypes of both crops. Heatmaps of these indices showed how the different genotypes clustered into four groups. Considering PCA ranking value, Miscanthus hybrid GRC10 (8.11) and Arundo clone PC1 (11.34) had the highest-ranking value under both stresses indicating these hybrids and clones are the most tolerant to drought and Zn stress. In contrast, hybrid GRC3 (−3.33 lowest ranking value) and clone CT2 (−5.84) were found to be the most sensitive to both drought and Zn stress. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Toxicity and Detoxification of Heavy Metals in Plants)
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