Achievements and Perspectives on Heavy Metal Stress and Crop Plant Responses

Dear Colleagues,

Environmental pollution with heavy metals is a recognized phenomenon. Over time, plants have developed mechanisms to counteract the negative effects of heavy metal pollution, largely due to the activity of the rhizosphere microbiome, or by isolating and concentrating them in various organs and tissues. In general, crop plant species do not present specific adaptation mechanisms and are therefore highly exposed to heavy metal pollution, with tendencies for their accumulation in various organs and direct negative effects on the level and quality of yield. From this point of view, it is essential to better understand both the stress induced by the presence of heavy metals on plants and their microbiome, but also the physiological, biochemical, and molecular reactions of anti-metal protection and the impact on harvest. This Special Issue aims to obtain and provide valuable information regarding the following:

- The mode of action of heavy metal pollution in plants.

- Technological measures to prevent and mitigate heavy metal pollution of the agricultural environment.

- Counteracting the effects of stress by plants through physiological, biochemical, and molecular mechanisms.

- Quantitative and qualitative changes in the plant microbiome under conditions of heavy metal pollution.

Manuscripts that provide valuable scientific contributions on the perception and metabolic response of plants to the unilateral action of heavy metals and the interactions between them, highlighting the impact on crops, will be especially appreciated.

We invite you to join us to contribute to a better understanding of the physiological, biochemical, and molecular mechanisms involved in the response of plants to heavy metal pollution and to the identification of innovative technological remediation measures.

Prof. Dr. Ciulca Sorin
Prof. Dr. Șumălan Radu-Liviu
Dr. Renata Maria Sumalan
Guest Editors

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