Effect of Heavy Metals on Plants, 3rd Edition

Topic Information

Dear Colleagues,

Following the successful completion of Volumes I and II of “Effect of Heavy Metals on Plants” and the great interest in this research topic, we are pleased to announce the launch of Volume III.

Currently, scientific inquiries conducted by numerous research groups often focus on expanding our knowledge of the influence of the effects of numerous factors that destabilize plant growth and development. This includes both wild species and those used by humans for various purposes, primarily as a source of food, animal feed, metabolites for human and livestock welfare, wood and various byproducts. Plants are an important material used in landscaping and are essential in some technologies for the remediation of various pollutants from different environmental compartments.

The demand for non-ferrous metals, such as gold, silver, platinum, copper, zinc, lead, nickel, tin, titanium, cadmium, beryllium, bismuth, cobalt, cerium, mercury, chromium, vanadium, tungsten and zirconium, is still very high in various fields of economic activity due to their resistance to rust and corrosion. Most of these metals are useful in electronic equipment, electrical power cables or metal constructions and many other industrial applications. Therefore, economically viable ore deposits containing these elements continue to be mined around the world. The extraction of ores, as well as their processing and further industrial production, is frequently associated with serious environmental pollution. Agroecosystems in particular receive large amounts of heavy metals through water or air, resulting in crop contamination. An inevitable consequence of this is an increased incidence of human diseases such as cancer or serious diseases affecting the cardiovascular system.

In the era of the Green Deal, we should only use ecologically justified technologies for environmental remediation, including phytoremediation techniques that utilize woody and herbaceous plants. Nevertheless, the methodology of this biological process should be tailored to specific in situ conditions, especially when the matrix (soil or water) is contaminated with a mixture of pollutants and the plants are exposed to additional stress factors such as soil water deficiency, soil salinity or temperature stress. Alternative approaches include the use of soil amendments and the biotization or mycorrhization of plants to increase their tolerance and thus survival under such harsh growing conditions. These aspects of remediation technology are what we should now focus on to significantly reduce the human population’s exposure to contaminated food.

The purpose of this topic is to collect and present the contributions of active groups engaged in basic and applied research on all aspects of plant functioning under stress, especially in terms of effective ecosystem pollution control. Research articles, case studies, reviews and viewpoints are all welcome. We also welcome incomplete results and any feedback that would helpful to the scientific community involved in research on the above-mentioned topics.

Prof. Dr. Martin Backor
Prof. Dr. Ewa Joanna Hanus-Fajerska
Topic Editors

Keywords

Participating Journals

Journal Name	Impact Factor	CiteScore	Launched Year	First Decision (median)	APC
Agriculture agriculture	4.5	7.8	2011	17.4 Days	CHF 2600	Submit
Agronomy agronomy	4.1	7.6	2011	17.7 Days	CHF 2600	Submit
Forests forests	3.1	5.4	2010	17.3 Days	CHF 2600	Submit
International Journal of Plant Biology ijpb	-	4.2	2010	17.5 Days	CHF 1400	Submit
Metals metals	3.1	5.7	2011	15.3 Days	CHF 2600	Submit
Plants plants	4.7	8.5	2012	14.8 Days	CHF 2700	Submit
Stresses stresses	-	10.0	2021	16.5 Days	CHF 1200	Submit
Toxins toxins	4.0	8.3	2009	18 Days	CHF 2700	Submit

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All Agriculture Agronomy Forests IJPB Plants Stresses Toxins Metals

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Supplementary material:
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21 pages, 5509 KB  

Open AccessArticle

Microbial Inoculants Enhance Plant Resilience to Heavy Metal Stress: A Global Meta-Analysis

by Shicong Chen, Xu Xu, Jie Liu, Peiyao Yang, Jincheng Zhang, Hongjun Liu, Qirong Shen and Rong Li

Agronomy 2026, 16(16), 1586; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy16161586 - 17 Aug 2026

Viewed by 215

Abstract

Heavy metal contamination in agricultural soils threatens food security and ecosystem sustainability worldwide. Microbial inoculants have been widely used to alleviate heavy metal phytotoxicity, yet the factors determining their efficacy remain unclear. Here, we conducted a global meta-analysis of 774 paired observations from [...] Read more.

Heavy metal contamination in agricultural soils threatens food security and ecosystem sustainability worldwide. Microbial inoculants have been widely used to alleviate heavy metal phytotoxicity, yet the factors determining their efficacy remain unclear. Here, we conducted a global meta-analysis of 774 paired observations from 70 studies to evaluate the effects of microbial inoculation on plant performance under heavy metal stress. Overall, microbial inoculation significantly increased plant biomass, with greater benefits under higher levels of metal stress. Combined bacterial and fungal inoculation consistently outperformed single inoculations, while non-mycorrhizal beneficial fungi produced the strongest positive effects among individual inoculants. Soil organic carbon and sand content were positively associated with inoculation efficacy, whereas mean annual temperature was negatively associated with inoculation efficacy. Our results demonstrate that microbial inoculation is an effective strategy for enhancing plant tolerance to heavy metal stress and that its efficacy is strongly influenced by inoculation strategy and soil properties. These findings provide a quantitative basis for optimizing microbial-assisted remediation and developing context-specific management strategies for contaminated agricultural soils. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Effect of Heavy Metals on Plants, 3rd Edition)

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20 pages, 15968 KB  

Open AccessArticle

The Multidrug Resistance Protein OsMDR4 Is Involved in Cadmium Absorption in Rice (Oryza sativa L.)

by Zijing Xie, Xiaohua Hao, Dan Zhao, Han Lei, Xinzhou Jin, Sha Wu, Wenli Hu, Lianfu Tian and Dongping Li

Plants 2026, 15(15), 2378; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15152378 - 3 Aug 2026

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Abstract

Cadmium (Cd) is a toxic metal that poses a significant threat to crop production and global food security. Transporters play a critical role in mediating the uptake of metal ions, including Cd. However, a substantial number of Cd transporters in rice remain uncharacterized. [...] Read more.

Cadmium (Cd) is a toxic metal that poses a significant threat to crop production and global food security. Transporters play a critical role in mediating the uptake of metal ions, including Cd. However, a substantial number of Cd transporters in rice remain uncharacterized. In this study, we identify OsMDR4, a member of the multidrug resistance protein family, as a mediator of Cd uptake in rice. Heterologous overexpression of OsMDR4 in yeast increased both Cd sensitivity and intracellular Cd accumulation. Consistent with this, the Cd concentrations in both roots and shoots of the mdr4 mutants were significantly lower than those in wild type. Kinetic analysis further revealed that the maximum Cd uptake rate in mdr4 mutants was markedly reduced compared with wild type. Expression analysis showed that OsMDR4 is primarily expressed in the epidermis and root hairs of rice seedlings and in floral organs during the flowering stage. Notably, OsMDR4 expression in seedling roots was upregulated in response to Cd exposure. Subcellular localization analysis revealed that OsMDR4–EGFP was predominantly localized to the plasma membrane in a heterologous Arabidopsis protoplast system. In summary, we have identified and characterized OsMDR4 as a previously uncharacterized protein that contributes to cadmium accumulation in rice. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Effect of Heavy Metals on Plants, 3rd Edition)

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14 pages, 5876 KB  

Open AccessArticle

Impact of Soil Chemical Properties on the Natural Regeneration of Sycamore Maple (Acer pseudoplatanus L.)

by Monika Konatowska, Igor Florczyk, Paweł Rutkowski and Jean Diatta

Forests 2026, 17(7), 834; https://doi.org/10.3390/f17070834 - 15 Jul 2026

Viewed by 374

Abstract

Soil contamination with heavy metals (including Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb), alongside climate change, represents a key challenge for the sustainability of forest ecosystems. Sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus L.), as a pioneer species with high phytostabilization potential, can play a significant role [...] Read more.

Soil contamination with heavy metals (including Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb), alongside climate change, represents a key challenge for the sustainability of forest ecosystems. Sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus L.), as a pioneer species with high phytostabilization potential, can play a significant role in ensuring forest persistence in areas affected by industrial emissions. In this context, the abundance of natural sycamore maple regeneration was determined along a transect originating at the “Gilów” Extractive Waste Treatment Facility in Poland. On 13 research plots arranged along the transect, the share of sycamore maples was assessed within height classes of up to 0.5 m, 0.5–1.5 m, and above 1.5 m. Furthermore, the soil content of Cu, Zn, Mn, Fe, Pb, Cd, Ni, and Cr, among others, was determined for each plot. The results showed a statistically significant positive correlation between Acer pseudoplatanus regeneration and the soil content of iron and nickel, as well as a statistically significant negative correlation with lead content. The results concerning nickel suggest that low concentrations of this element may stimulate the natural regeneration of sycamore maple. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Effect of Heavy Metals on Plants, 3rd Edition)

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