About this Research Topic

Background

Arable lands, which provide about 95% of food for human beings, are under great pressure due to soil pollution. More than five million sites of soils worldwide are contaminated with heavy metals including cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), chromium (Cr), arsenic (As), zinc (Zn), and copper (Cu), etc. Heavy metals can occur naturally in soils or as a result of anthropogenic activities. During the last few decades, rapid industrial development, air deposition, polluted water irrigation, sewage sludge application, overuse of pesticides, and inorganic fertilizers application result in the deposition of heavy metals in the global soil system. On the one hand, these toxic heavy metals in soils disturb photosynthesis, respiration, transpiration and other metabolic processes in plants resulting in retardation of plant growth or reduced yields of crops. On the other hand, heavy metals enter human body via food chain, which leads to kidney diseases, liver diseases, central nervous system disorders and insomnia. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop strategies for the safe utilization of heavy metals-polluted soils.

To produce safe crops, the high levels of heavy metals-polluted soils are preferred to be decontaminated, whereas the low levels of heavy metals-polluted soils are considered to be continuously used for crop production. In this regard, enhanced removal rates of heavy metals from soils by phytoremediation plants are needed, while decreased heavy metals accumulation in crops below safe food standards is required. However, environmentally-friendly, cost-effective, efficient and sustainable strategies for promoting phytoremediation efficiency of heavy metals-polluted soils or repressing toxic heavy metals accumulation in edible organs of crops are still limited. Thus, this research topic will highlight recent developments, current knowledge and perspectives on phytoremediation or mitigation of heavy metal stress in plants, and plants interact with chemical or/and biological strategies for the safe utilization of heavy metal(s) polluted soils.

This Research Topic aims at exploring the safe utilization of heavy metals pollution in soils for healthy food. We highly welcome manuscripts dealing with, but not limited to:

• Advancements in physicochemical, biological and/or molecular processes with phytoremediation of heavy metals in soils

• Role of exogenous agents such as fertilizers, pesticides, biochar, biostimulants or chelators in regulation of heavy metals uptake, transport, distribution and accumulation in phytoremediation plants or crops.

• New developments in the use of plant symbiotic microbes for remediation of heavy metals pollution in soils or alleviation of heavy metal stress in crops.

Keywords: Alleviation, Bioremediation, Crops, Heavy metals, Phytoremediation

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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