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Plant Responses to Heavy Metals
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Plant Responses to Heavy Metals

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Response to Abiotic Stress and Climate Change".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 August 2022) | Viewed by 10503

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Roberto De Michele

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Biosciences and Bioresource, National Research Council of Italy (CNR-IBBR), Palermo, Italy
Interests: plant science; plant physiology; heavy metals; programmed cell death; reactive oxygen species; reactive nitrogen species; nitric oxide; genetically encoded sensors; grapevine genetics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As sessile organisms, plants are exposed to contaminants present in the environment. Heavy metals and metalloids can be naturally present in the soil or derived from anthropogenic activities such as mining, fossil fuel burning, agriculture, and waste management. Heavy metals are not degraded by organisms and can be absorbed by plants and algae, thus accumulating through the food chain. Depending on the metal element, its chemical form, concentration, time of exposure, tissue and plant species, heavy metals can either be tolerated or induce toxic effects. In the last few decades, the mechanisms of toxicity have been investigated in several systems, revealing events spanning from necrosis to programmed cell death. Moreover, several molecular players, such as reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS and RNS), have been shown to pay an important signalling role in heavy-metal-induced toxicity, yet there is much still to be discovered.

In this Special Issue, we welcome studies on the response of plants, algae and fungi to heavy metals and metalloids, with special emphasis on the mechanisms of tolerance and toxicity to these pollutants.

Dr. Roberto De Michele
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • heavy metal toxicity in plants
  • hypercaccumulator plants
  • programmed cell death in plants
  • cadmium
  • mercury
  • lead
  • zinc
  • copper
  • chromium
  • arsenic

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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10 pages, 780 KiB  
Article
Phytomanagement of a Lead-Polluted Shooting Range Using an Aromatic Plant Species and Its Effects on the Rhizosphere Bacterial Diversity and Essential Oil Production
by Anabel Saran, Lucia Fernandez, Cinthia Yanela Latini, Monica Bellozas Reinhard, Marisol Minig, Sofie Thijs, Jaco Vangronsveld and Luciano Jose Merini
Plants 2022, 11(22), 3024; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11223024 - 9 Nov 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1453
Abstract
This field study aimed to assess the baseline conditions of a long-term shooting range in Argentina polluted with 428 mg kg−1 lead (Pb) to evaluate the establishment and development of Helianthus petiolaris plants and address the efficacy of the phytomanagement strategy through: [...] Read more.
This field study aimed to assess the baseline conditions of a long-term shooting range in Argentina polluted with 428 mg kg−1 lead (Pb) to evaluate the establishment and development of Helianthus petiolaris plants and address the efficacy of the phytomanagement strategy through: (i) element accumulation in plant tissues; (ii) rhizosphere bacterial diversity changes by Illumina Miseq™, and (iii) floral water and essential oil yield, composition, and element concentration by GC–MS and ICP. After one life cycle growing in the polluted sites, in the roots of Helianthus petiolaris plants, Pb concentration was between 195 and 304 mg kg−1 Pb. Only a limited fraction of the Pb was translocated to the aerial parts. The predominance of the genus Serratia in the rhizosphere of Helianthus petiolaris plants cultivated in the polluted sites and the decrease in the essential oil yield were some effects significantly associated with soil Pb concentration. No detectable Pb concentration was found in the floral water and essential oil obtained. Extractable Pb concentration in the soil reduced between 28% and 45% after the harvest. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Responses to Heavy Metals)
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15 pages, 1729 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of Trigonella foenum-graecum L. Plant Food Safety after Lead Exposure: Phytochemical Processes
by Wiem Mnafgui, Valeria Rizzo, Giuseppe Muratore, Hicham Hajlaoui and Amine Elleuch
Plants 2022, 11(19), 2526; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11192526 - 27 Sep 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2043
Abstract
Lead stands as a food contaminant through its accumulation in consumed plants. In this study, the effects of lead (II) chloride (PbCl2) and its levels of uptake on morphological and phytochemical responses of fenugreek were assessed to evaluate its tolerance and [...] Read more.
Lead stands as a food contaminant through its accumulation in consumed plants. In this study, the effects of lead (II) chloride (PbCl2) and its levels of uptake on morphological and phytochemical responses of fenugreek were assessed to evaluate its tolerance and safety for human consumption. Results revealed that PbCl2 (50–2000 mg L−1) did not affect the germination rate, but it decreased the radicle length and amylase activity. After three months of Pb treatments, the elemental analysis showed that Pb accumulation was greater in roots than shoots, and it was not present in harvested seeds. The bioaccumulation factor > 1 and the translocation factor << 1 observed for 1000 mg L−1 PbCl2 suggested appropriateness of fenugreek as a phytostabilizer. Additionally, increased lipid peroxidation, hydrogen peroxide, flavonoid levels and catalase activity were observed in Pb-treated fenugreek. Meanwhile, decreased chlorophyll content was detected under these conditions. In turn, the total phenol was correlated with Pb treatment only in roots. HPLC analysis proved that under Pb stress, gallic acid was the most produced compound in treated roots compared to shoots, followed by quercetin. Syringic and chlorogenic acids were more produced in shoots. In conclusion, fenugreek can be used for Pb phytoremediation and is safe for consumption after Pb treatments in the traditional medicine system. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Responses to Heavy Metals)
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11 pages, 2926 KiB  
Article
The Influence of Serpentine Soil on the Early Development of a Non-Serpentine African Thistle, Berkheya radula (Harv.) De Wild
by C. J. Roebuck, S. J. Siebert, J. M. Berner and J. Marcelo-Silva
Plants 2022, 11(18), 2360; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11182360 - 9 Sep 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2054
Abstract
Serpentine soils are rich in heavy metals and poor in nutrients, limiting plant species’ performance and survival. Nevertheless, specificities of such limitations as well as adaptability features required for thriving in serpentine environments are barely known. The Barberton Greenstone Belt in South Africa [...] Read more.
Serpentine soils are rich in heavy metals and poor in nutrients, limiting plant species’ performance and survival. Nevertheless, specificities of such limitations as well as adaptability features required for thriving in serpentine environments are barely known. The Barberton Greenstone Belt in South Africa is an example of an area containing serpentine soil with adapted vegetation. In this study, a pot experiment was performed to compare development features (i.e., germination rates, leaf count, leaf length, biomass and photosynthetic capacity) during the early development of the non-serpentine species Berkheya radula, a genus consisting of known metal hyperaccumulators from serpentine areas in South Africa. B. radula was grown in serpentine soils taken from the Barberton region. B. radula leaves had heavy metals in concentrations that confirmed the species as a phytoextractor. There were trends for enhanced productivity and photosynthesis in the serpentine treatments compared to the control. Leaf count, leaf length, electron transport efficiency (ψEo/(1 − ψEo), density of reaction centers and PIABS,total were significantly and positively correlated with at least one of the heavy metals in the leaves. Germination rates were positively influenced by K, whereas biomass and the density of reaction centers were negatively affected by Ca and P, and only Ca, respectively. The heavy metals Zn, Ni and Co were positively correlated with each other, whereas they were negatively correlated with the macronutrients K, Ca and P. The latter correlated positively with each other, confirming higher fertility of the control soil. Our study suggests that B. radula exhibits metallophyte characteristics (i.e., preadapted), despite not naturally occurring on metal-enriched soil, and this provides evidence that the potential for bioaccumulation and phytoremediation is shared between serpentine and non-serpentine species in this genus. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Responses to Heavy Metals)
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Review

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14 pages, 2739 KiB  
Review
The Different Faces of Arabidopsis arenosa—A Plant Species for a Special Purpose
by Żaneta Gieroń, Krzysztof Sitko and Eugeniusz Małkowski
Plants 2021, 10(7), 1342; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10071342 - 30 Jun 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3657
Abstract
The following review article collects information on the plant species Arabidopsis arenosa. Thus far, A. arenosa has been known as a model species for autotetraploidy studies because, apart from diploid individuals, there are also tetraploid populations, which is a unique feature of [...] Read more.
The following review article collects information on the plant species Arabidopsis arenosa. Thus far, A. arenosa has been known as a model species for autotetraploidy studies because, apart from diploid individuals, there are also tetraploid populations, which is a unique feature of this Arabidopsis species. In addition, A arenosa has often been reported in heavy metal-contaminated sites, where it occurs together with a closely related species A. halleri, a model plant hyperaccumulator of Cd and Zn. Recent studies have shown that several populations of A. arenosa also exhibit Cd and Zn hyperaccumulation. However, it is assumed that the mechanism of hyperaccumulation differs between these two Arabidopsis species. Nevertheless, this phenomenon is still not fully understood, and thorough research is needed. In this paper, we summarize the current state of knowledge regarding research on A. arenosa. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Responses to Heavy Metals)
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