Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
6.4
4.1
Journals
Toxics
Special Issues
Plant Responses to Heavy Metal
share announcement

Plant Responses to Heavy Metal

A special issue of Toxics (ISSN 2305-6304).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 November 2025) | Viewed by 3854

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Yanqun Zu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Resources and Environment, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming 650201, China
Interests: heavy metals; environmental ecology; soil pollution; risk assessment; phytoremediation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The effects of heavy metal stress on plant growth are mainly manifested in cellular structure alterations and changes in the uptake and translocation of other elements. Heavy metal ions in plants are absorbed into a plant by the roots and accumulate in different parts of the plant through metabolism, complexation, transportation and distribution. After heavy metals are absorbed by plants, selective distribution is shown in various cells, tissues and organs of the plants to alleviate the toxic effects of heavy metals. Plant responses to heavy metals include behavior, physiology and molecular mechanisms., and there are many regulations and control measurements which may vary these responses. Ecological restoration of soil includes physical, chemical, biological and phytoremediation technologies. Phytoremediation, in particular, is cheaper and ecologically friendlier based on the unique response of hyperaccumulators to heavy metal. This Special Issue is focused on the mechanism of plant responses to heavy metals and regulation measurements, including hyperaccumulators.

Prof. Dr. Yanqun Zu
Guest Editor

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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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. Toxics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2600 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

  • heavy metals
  • plant
  • soil pollution
  • phytoremediation
  • mechanism
  • regulation and control

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (4 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

16 pages, 2140 KB  
Article
Functional Portability of a Hyperaccumulator-Derived Core Microbiome: Enhancing Cadmium Phytoextraction in Brassica juncea L. Through Molecular Reprogramming
by Lukuan Huang, Shumeng Fu, Shaoting Du and Ying Feng
Toxics 2026, 14(4), 303; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics14040303 - 31 Mar 2026
Viewed by 621
Abstract
Soil cadmium (Cd) contamination is a persistent threat to global food security, requiring sustainable in situ remediation strategies. While hyperaccumulating plants possess specialized traits for metal extraction, their low biomass limits large-scale application. This study investigates the potential of a core endophytic synthetic [...] Read more.
Soil cadmium (Cd) contamination is a persistent threat to global food security, requiring sustainable in situ remediation strategies. While hyperaccumulating plants possess specialized traits for metal extraction, their low biomass limits large-scale application. This study investigates the potential of a core endophytic synthetic community (SynCom-NS)—characterized by heavy metal tolerance and growth-promoting traits, originally derived from the hyperaccumulator Sedum alfredii—by assessing its ability to modulate the remediation phenotype of a high-biomass non-host crop, Brassica juncea. Pot experiments revealed that SynCom-NS root-zone application significantly alleviated Cd toxicity, increasing total fresh weight by 82% and chlorophyll content by 33%. Crucially, the consortium bypassed the “growth-dilution” trade-off, facilitating a 4.07-fold increase in shoot Cd accumulation. Multi-omics analysis demonstrated a systemic modulation of the host’s defense machinery, marked by a >3-fold surge in glutathione (GSH) levels and the induction of phenylpropanoid biosynthesis for cell wall reinforcement. SynCom-NS application also mediated tissue-specific regulation of the key metal transporter HMA4, upregulating its expression in roots to accelerate long-distance translocation while downregulating it in shoots. These findings demonstrate that specialized core microbiomes function as potent bio-inoculants, offering a promising biological strategy for engineering high-efficiency phytoremediation systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Responses to Heavy Metal)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

22 pages, 1972 KB  
Article
Vegetation Restoration in Karst Southwest China: Effects of Plant Community Diversity and Soil Physicochemical Properties on Soil Cadmium
by Yun Xing, Lin Zhang, Zhuoyi Mei, Xiuwen Wang, Chao Li, Zuran Li and Yuan Li
Toxics 2026, 14(1), 102; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics14010102 - 21 Jan 2026
Viewed by 496
Abstract
In southwest China, vegetation restoration is widely used in karst rocky desertification control projects. However, mechanistic evidence explaining how plant community composition and species diversity regulate cadmium (Cd) bioavailability remains limited. Here, the plant community’s species diversity, soil properties, Cd, and available Cd [...] Read more.
In southwest China, vegetation restoration is widely used in karst rocky desertification control projects. However, mechanistic evidence explaining how plant community composition and species diversity regulate cadmium (Cd) bioavailability remains limited. Here, the plant community’s species diversity, soil properties, Cd, and available Cd contents were evaluated. Four plant community types, NR (natural recovery), PMC (Pistacia weinmannifolia + Medicago sativa + Chrysopogon zizanioides), and PME (Pistacia weinmannifolia + Medicago sativa + Eragrostis curvula), were selected as the research objects. The species composition was recorded, and dominant plant species and soil samples were collected to analyze Cd accumulation characteristics. Relative to NR, composite restorations increased plant diversity and soil nutrient availability and reduced soil compaction, with PMC showing the strongest remediation, decreasing total Cd by 49.4% and available Cd by 59.5%. Model-averaged regression and hierarchical partitioning analyses further identified nitrogen availability and community structure as the dominant drivers. Specifically, available nitrogen (AN), vegetation coverage, Margalef species richness (DMG), ammonium nitrogen (NH4+–N), and total N (TN) were the main factors of soil total Cd, and BD, TN, nitrate nitrogen (NO3−–N), mean crown diameter (MCD), and Shannon–Wiener index (H′) were the main factors of soil available Cd. The results indicate that PMC provides a plant community structure configuration decisions of a scalable, site-adaptable strategy for durable Cd stabilization and soil conservation in thin, carbonate-rich karst soils. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Responses to Heavy Metal)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

19 pages, 1208 KB  
Article
Phytohormone-ROS Crosstalk Regulates Metal Transporter Expression in Sedum alfredii
by Shimiao Chen, Bin Shan, Yanyan Li, Fuhai Zheng, Xi Chen, Lilan Lv and Qinyu Lu
Toxics 2025, 13(10), 823; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics13100823 - 26 Sep 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 798
Abstract
Sedum alfredii is a cadmium (Cd) hyperaccumulator, but the regulatory mechanisms linking phytohormones and redox balance to Cd transporter expression remain unclear. In this study, we omitted external cadmium (Cd) stress to isolate and examine the interplay between phytohormone and reactive oxygen species [...] Read more.
Sedum alfredii is a cadmium (Cd) hyperaccumulator, but the regulatory mechanisms linking phytohormones and redox balance to Cd transporter expression remain unclear. In this study, we omitted external cadmium (Cd) stress to isolate and examine the interplay between phytohormone and reactive oxygen species (ROS) signaling. Exogenous treatments with abscisic acid (ABA), indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), gibberellic acid (GA3), trans-zeatin (t-Z), and H2O2 were combined with analyses of hormone levels, antioxidant enzyme activities, and transporter gene expression. Correlation and PLS-SEM analyses identified the CAT–H2O2 module as a key node: ABA and IAA enhanced CAT activity and alleviated ROS-mediated repression of transporters, while GA3 and t-Z exerted opposite effects. Functional validation using an H2O2 scavenger revealed that the regulation of HMA3 and Nramp5 by ABA and t-Z is H2O2-dependent. In contrast, IAA modulates Nramp5 through a ROS-independent pathway, while the regulatory effects of GA3 were negligible. Functional validation under Cd exposure suggests a model wherein HMA3 and Nramp5 act in a complementary manner to sequester and redistribute Cd in leaves, thereby supporting hyperaccumulation. These findings highlight hormone-specific ROS pathways as central to transporter regulation and provide mechanistic insights to improve phytoremediation efficiency. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Responses to Heavy Metal)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

25 pages, 4979 KB  
Article
Single Super Phosphate Improves Lolium perenne Quality and Rhizosphere Microorganism Structure Under Combined Cadmium and Arsenic Stress
by Toe Toe Maw, Jiangdi Deng, Bo Li, Yanqun Zu and Zuran Li
Toxics 2025, 13(9), 805; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics13090805 - 22 Sep 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1028
Abstract
Cadmium and arsenic co-contamination found in mining actions indicates major effluence in adjacent farmland soils, disturbing the plant physiology and soil’s microbial community. Phosphorus (P) plays a vital role in reducing soil contamination from Cd and As bioavailability and uptake by plants. However, [...] Read more.
Cadmium and arsenic co-contamination found in mining actions indicates major effluence in adjacent farmland soils, disturbing the plant physiology and soil’s microbial community. Phosphorus (P) plays a vital role in reducing soil contamination from Cd and As bioavailability and uptake by plants. However, the right P sources for remediation approaches are critical and still require further research in Cd- and As-contaminated soil. This study aimed to explore the effects of different phosphorus fertilizer sources on Lolium perenne growth and its physiological and rhizosphere microbial diversity under combined contamination with Cd and As. Pot experiments were performed with seven treatments including SSP (single super phosphate), DAP (diammonium phosphate), MAP (monoammonium phosphate), CaP (calcium phosphate), HighCaP (high calcium phosphate), RP (rock phosphate), and no phosphorus fertilizer application (CK) with five replications in the RCB design. The SSP treatment showed the greatest plant height (15.7 cm), hay yield (3567.6 kg·ha−1), and enhanced antioxidant defense activities. It also achieved the highest phosphorus accumulation rate (0.63 g·kg−1) with reduced Cd and As uptake. In addition, SSP promoted higher non-protein sulfhydryl (NPT) and phytochelatin synthetase (PCs) contents along with γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase (γ-ECS) activity, and enriched the rhizosphere microbial community, where the Sphingomonas abundance was 7.08% higher than for other treatments. Therefore, this result indicates that SSP can improve the yield and physiology in L. perenne, as well as soil the rhizosphere microbial community structure, while reducing Cd and As accumulation in plants under Cd and As stress. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Responses to Heavy Metal)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-4
Back to TopTop