Genetic Regulation Mechanism of Heavy Metal Accumulation and Tolerance in Plants
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 August 2026 | Viewed by 151
Special Issue Editor
Interests: heavy metal accumulation in plants
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Farmland serves as the foundation for the production of food and economic crops. Its protection and safe utilization are crucial not only for national economic development but also as a fundamental prerequisite for public dietary health. Heavy metals, common pollutants in agricultural soils, are generally non-essential elements for plants and exhibit strong biological toxicity and high mobility. Although various advanced technologies, such as physical and chemical remediation, have been employed to mitigate heavy metal contamination in farmland, they often entail high costs and are large-scale engineering projects. In contrast, phytoremediation technology utilizes the natural capacities of plants to absorb, immobilize, transform, and accumulate pollutants. Furthermore, it enhances microbial degradation and detoxification processes by fostering favourable conditions for rhizosphere microorganisms, thereby restoring contaminated soil. Based on the underlying processes and mechanisms, this technology can be classified into phytoextraction, phytovolatilisation, phytostabilisation, rhizodegradation, and rhizofiltration.
Cultivating hyperaccumulator plants to remove heavy metals from farmland soil is a widely studied and promising approach. Additionally, the use of low heavy metal-accumulating plants as a barrier represents a novel and practical strategy for the green remediation of farmland soil, enabling “simultaneous production and restoration.” Breeding and cultivating plants that restrict heavy metal uptake is an effective strategy to reduce heavy metal entry into the food chain, which is critical for safeguarding human health and restoring ecological balance. Therefore, elucidating the genetic regulatory mechanisms governing heavy metal absorption, transport, and distribution in plants is essential for advancing ecological remediation, improving agricultural productivity and quality, ensuring food safety, and protecting human health.
This Special Issue aims to cover a broad spectrum of related research to provide a comprehensive, multi‑perspective understanding of plant heavy metal accumulation.
Dr. Jinqiu Liao
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- low cadmium accumulation plants
- hyper cadmium accumulation plants
- cadmium tolerance
- gene function
- molecular regulatory mechanisms
- phytoremediation
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