Heavy Metal and Fluoride Stress: Toxicity and Tolerance Mechanisms in Plants
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Plant Sciences".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 29 November 2025 | Viewed by 62
Special Issue Editor
Interests: plant nutrition; ions homeostasis; plant stress responses; plant physiology; plant resilience
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleague
Heavy metal and fluoride contamination pose significant threats to plant growth, development, and agricultural productivity. These environmental stressors induce physiological, biochemical, and molecular disruptions, leading to oxidative stress, nutrient imbalances, and impaired metabolic functions. Understanding plant responses to heavy metal and fluoride toxicity is critical for developing strategies to enhance stress tolerance and ensure sustainable crop production.
This Special Issue aims to explore recent advancements in plant adaptation and tolerance mechanisms to heavy metal and fluoride stress. We invite contributions that investigate:
- the uptake, accumulation, and translocation of heavy metals and fluoride in plants;
- physiological and metabolic alterations induced by heavy metal and fluoride exposure;
- the role of antioxidants, phytochelatins, and other defense molecules in mitigating stress; genetic, transcriptomic, and proteomic insights into stress tolerance pathways;
- the involvement of rhizosphere microorganisms in alleviating heavy metal and fluoride toxicity;
- and strategies for phytoremediation and sustainable management of contaminated environments.
By compiling cutting-edge research, this Special Issue will provide a comprehensive understanding of plant resilience under heavy metal and fluoride stress, offering insights into potential applications in crop improvement and environmental sustainability.
Dr. Hatem Rouached
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- heavy metal toxicity
- fluoride stress
- stress tolerance mechanisms
- phytoremediation
- oxidative stress response
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