Microbe-Assisted Alleviation of Heavy Metal Toxicity in Plants: A Review

Heavy metals contaminations in soil adversely affect the growth and survibality of the plants. Alternatively, plants have evolved complex physiological processes to withstand such environmental cues. Myraids of plant varieties with improved tolerance to metal toxicity has been developed through molecular breeding and transgenic approaches. However, such methods are laborious, expensive and not 100% effective. Recent evidences indicate that several microbes can tolerate metal toxicity and can acclimatize to adverse environmental conditions. The association of plants and such metal-tolerant microbes could be one of the promising strategies to enhance plant performance under metal toxicity. In this review, we focus on the association between plant and microbes in alleviating metal toxicity. We have also presented the different physiological processes of achieving metal toxicity in plants. Furthermore, different strategies to improve plant resilience through microbial applications have been discussed.

Automated summary

Heavy metals in soil can harm plant growth, but plants have developed physiological mechanisms to cope. While breeding and genetic modification have improved plant tolerance to metal toxicity, the association of plants with metal-tolerant microbes shows promise in enhancing plant performance.