TY - JOUR
T1 - Mechanisms of silicon-mediated alleviation of heavy metal toxicity in plants
T2 - A review
AU - Adrees, Muhammad
AU - Ali, Shafaqat
AU - Rizwan, Muhammad
AU - Zia-ur-Rehman, Muhammad
AU - Ibrahim, Muhammad
AU - Abbas, Farhat
AU - Farid, Mujahid
AU - Qayyum, Muhammad Farooq
AU - Irshad, Muhammad Kashif
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 Elsevier Inc.
PY - 2015/9/1
Y1 - 2015/9/1
N2 - In present era, heavy metal pollution is rapidly increasing which present many environmental problems. These heavy metals are mainly accumulated in soil and are transferred to food chain through plants grown on these soils. Silicon (Si) is the second most abundant element in the soil. It has been widely reported that Si can stimulate plant growth and alleviate various biotic and abiotic stresses, including heavy metal stress. Research to date has explored a number of mechanisms through which Si can alleviate heavy metal toxicity in plants at both plant and soil levels. Here we reviewed the mechanisms through which Si can alleviate heavy metal toxicity in plants. The key mechanisms evoked include reducing active heavy metal ions in growth media, reduced metal uptake and root-to-shoot translocation, chelation and stimulation of antioxidant systems in plants, complexation and co-precipitation of toxic metals with Si in different plant parts, compartmentation and structural alterations in plants and regulation of the expression of metal transport genes. However, these mechanisms might be associated with plant species, genotypes, metal elements, growth conditions, duration of the stress imposed and so on. Further research orientation is also discussed.
AB - In present era, heavy metal pollution is rapidly increasing which present many environmental problems. These heavy metals are mainly accumulated in soil and are transferred to food chain through plants grown on these soils. Silicon (Si) is the second most abundant element in the soil. It has been widely reported that Si can stimulate plant growth and alleviate various biotic and abiotic stresses, including heavy metal stress. Research to date has explored a number of mechanisms through which Si can alleviate heavy metal toxicity in plants at both plant and soil levels. Here we reviewed the mechanisms through which Si can alleviate heavy metal toxicity in plants. The key mechanisms evoked include reducing active heavy metal ions in growth media, reduced metal uptake and root-to-shoot translocation, chelation and stimulation of antioxidant systems in plants, complexation and co-precipitation of toxic metals with Si in different plant parts, compartmentation and structural alterations in plants and regulation of the expression of metal transport genes. However, these mechanisms might be associated with plant species, genotypes, metal elements, growth conditions, duration of the stress imposed and so on. Further research orientation is also discussed.
KW - Abiotic stress
KW - Genotypes
KW - Heavy metal
KW - Plant
KW - Silicon
KW - Tolerance
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84929628003&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2015.05.011
DO - 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2015.05.011
M3 - Review article
C2 - 26004359
AN - SCOPUS:84929628003
SN - 0147-6513
VL - 119
SP - 186
EP - 197
JO - Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
JF - Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
ER -