Plants and the Impact of Environmentally Hazardous Chemicals: An Approach between Tolerance and Sensitivity

Dear Colleagues,

The study of the quality of life at any level on Earth is a topical issue, and the balance of the biosphere is inextricably linked to changes in the environment induced by anthropogenic influence. Industries, urbanization, animal husbandry and agricultural practices are sources of pollution that continuously enrich, at an accelerated pace, the range of environmental contaminants. The processes of continuous release of hazardous compounds into the atmosphere, water and soil induce and generate morphological, physiological, biochemical and cytogenetic changes on plants, affect plant growth, alter plant–environment relationships and could have a negative impact on biodiversity. The effects of various contaminants are frequently reported in the literature, but further investigations into the increased toxicity of pollutants, the cytochemical behaviour of coexisting hazardous substances, and the ecological, economic and social consequences are absolutely necessary. Despite the fact that plants are a vital resource in tackling pollution, the limits of plant exploitation in phytoremediation or tolerant plants as biomonitors, as well as the impact of the absorption and accumulation of pollutants in the food chain are not well defined. Plant protection and conservation, the design and implementation of management strategies, furthermore the support and promotion of pollution reduction approaches must be the priorities of the world driven by the principle of sustainable development.

Dr. Anca Sutan
Dr. Liliana Cristina Soare
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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.

• plant growth
• plant-environment relationships
• morphological changes
• physiological changes
• biochemical changes
• cytogenotoxicity
• phytoremediation
• biomonitors
• hazardous chemicals
• coexisting contaminants
• ecological consequences
• plant conservation
• sustainable development