Physiological Response and Molecular Mechanisms of Plants to Heavy Metal/Loid Toxicity: 2nd Edition
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: 31 July 2026 | Viewed by 21
Special Issue Editors
Interests: study of abiotic stress effects on plants through biochemistry; omics; genome editing using CRISPR technology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: crop stress physiology; cellular redox homeostasis; plant ultrastructures; molecular plant improvement; nanotechnology; seed priming
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
2. Yingdong College of Biology and Agriculture, Shaoguan University, Shaoguan 512005, China
Interests: crop molecular stress physiology; ecotoxicology; phytoremediation; plant response to abiotic stress and signaling transduction
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Heavy metal/loid (HM) toxicity poses a significant threat to the growth and development of plants, affecting their ability to photosynthesize, take up nutrients, and maintain cellular homeostasis. Therefore, understanding the physiological and molecular responses to HM toxicity is crucial for developing strategies to mitigate HM pollution and promote sustainable agriculture.
Currently, research in this field focuses on elucidating the complex mechanisms that plants employ to adapt to HM stress. This involves the investigation of physiological changes, such as alterations in the plant's metabolism, antioxidant systems, and gene expression patterns. However, despite the progress that has been made, there is still much to learn about the intricate interactions between plants and HM toxicity. Therefore, this Special Issue aims to publish original articles and reviews that consolidate recent advancements in the field of HM tolerance, as well as to identify potential new mitigation strategies at agronomical, physiological, eco-physiological, and molecular levels, which are involved in a plant’s response to HM toxicity.
The main themes are described as follows:
- Examining the intricate molecular mechanisms employed by plants to perceive and adapt to HM toxicity, with a particular emphasis on the crucial roles played by signaling molecules, such as reactive oxygen species (ROS) and phytohormones.
- Identifying novel genes and proteins involved in HM detoxification and tolerance mechanisms in plants, providing insights into a plant's adaptive strategies.
- Exploring the role of plant microbiota in HM detoxification and its potential in enhancing plant tolerance to HM stress.
- Developing genetic engineering and biotechnological approaches to improve the HM tolerance of crop plants, thereby ensuring sustainable crop production in HM-contaminated areas.
- Evaluating the ecological consequences of HM stress on plant–insect and plant–microbe interactions, assessing its impact on ecosystem health and stability.
Dr. Aamir Hamid Khan
Dr. Abdul Salam
Dr. Muhammad Zeeshan
Guest Editors
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
- phytoremediation
- redox homeostasis
- plant–environment
- interaction metal
- tolerance index
- metal ion uptake phytochelatins
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