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Phytotoxicity, Plant Tolerance and Phytoremediation of Heavy Metals in Agricultural System

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Prof. Dr. Jian Chen

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Guest Editor

Institute of Food Safety and Nutrition, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing, China
Interests: plant biology; plant adaption to environmental stress; genetic improvement; plant tolerance
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Changfeng Ding

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Guest Editor

Key Laboratory of Soil Environment and Pollution Remediation, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
Interests: heavy metals and metalloids; soil-plant system; migration and transformation; chemical speciation; bioaccumulation; environmental criteria; food safety

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Anthropogenic and natural activities lead to the release of toxic heavy metals into the environment. Heavy metals are non-essential elements for plants. They are not only toxic for crop growth and development but also pose a great threat to human health through the food chain. Plants have been developing tolerant mechanisms with physiological, biochemical, and genetic modulations to combat heavy metal stress. Transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulations have drawn great attention from researchers attempting to understand the adaptation and detoxification of heavy metals in plants. Phytoremediation is an environmentally friendly approach used to clean up soils polluted by heavy metals. Hyperaccumulators are specific plant species with the capability of accumulating a high content of heavy metals, providing important clues to study the tolerant mechanisms of plants upon heavy metal exposure.

This Special Issue aims to collect current findings and advancements on phytotoxicity, plant tolerance, and the phytoremediation of heavy metals, including the molecular mechanisms used for heavy metal uptake, transportation, accumulation, and toxicity in plants, plant adaptation to heavy metals, the exogenous regulation of plant tolerance against heavy metals, the phytoremediation of heavy metals, and so forth. This Special Issue invites the submission of studies which focus on plant–heavy metal interactions at the morphological, physiological, biochemical, genetic, and ecological levels. It focuses on crops under heavy metal stress, though other plants are also acceptable. Both field trials and laboratory studies are welcome. We are also open to receiving different types of manuscripts, such as original research articles, reviews, or communications.

Prof. Dr. Jian Chen
Dr. Changfeng Ding
Guest Editors

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Research

14 pages, 2398 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Characteristics and Mechanisms of Soil Co-Contamination Affecting the Transfer of Cadmium and Arsenic in Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.)

by Changfeng Ding, Sajjad Hussain, Xinxin Xie, Zhigao Zhou and Xingxiang Wang

Agronomy 2023, 13(11), 2778; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13112778 - 8 Nov 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1436

Abstract

Soil co-contamination with cadmium (Cd) and arsenic (As) occurs frequently and has caused increasing concern. This study aimed to explore the transfer characteristics and the chemical forms, subcellular distribution of Cd and As, as well as the synthesis of phytochelatins (PCs) and other chelates in peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) plants grown in a Cd and As co-contaminated soil, shedding light on the mechanisms involved. Compared with the single Cd contamination, Cd–As co-contamination led to a higher accumulation of Cd in peanut plants. Conversely, compared to the single As contamination, the As content increased in peanut shoots but decreased in roots and grains under Cd–As co-contamination. Furthermore, the Cd–As interaction resulted in notable changes in peanut plants’ physiological and biochemical responses. In the roots and shoots, there was an 81.8% and 60.0% increase in water-soluble Cd. In the roots, metallothioneins (MTs) content increased by 50%, while PCs increased by 6.4% in the shoots. These changes promoted the translocation of Cd from roots to grains. The Cd–As interaction also influenced the synthesis of MTs in the roots, showing a 41.2% increase, and facilitated the transfer of As to the shoots. In peanut shoots, Cd increased the cell wall fraction of As by 34.5%, decreased the proportion of water-soluble As by 31.8%, and increased PCs content by 6.9%. These changes inhibited the migration of As from shoots to grains. Overall, Cd–As co-contamination increased Cd in peanut grains by increasing water-soluble forms and MTs in roots, while Cd–As co-contamination decreased As in peanut grains by increasing cell wall fractions and PCs in shoots. These findings provide a theoretical basis for understanding Cd–As interactions in soil–peanut systems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Phytotoxicity, Plant Tolerance and Phytoremediation of Heavy Metals in Agricultural System)

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Phytotoxicity, Plant Tolerance and Phytoremediation of Heavy Metals in Agricultural System

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