Role of Iron in Alleviating Heavy Metal Stress

Abstract

Heavy metals naturally present in soils usually result from human activities such as agricultural practices, mining, automobile, sewage processing, and metal industries. Higher concentrations of these metals in surrounding environment showed toxic effects on plants and animals. Heavy metals entered in soil-plant environment through various anthropogenic activities are taken up and accumulated in various plant parts. Higher concentrations of these metals showed toxic symptoms in plants. Heavy metals at higher dosage negatively affect plants physiological, morphological, and biochemical traits. On the other hand, plants used different strategies to cope with damaging effects induced by metal toxicity. There are some metals such as macro and micro nutrients, which are essentially required by plants for their growth and development processes. Micronutrient such as iron plays a key role in minimizing toxic effects of heavy metals and limits their entry in food chain. It has been thoroughly documented by many researchers that Fe has potential to alleviate metal toxicity by limiting metals uptake in different plants. Reports suggested that Fe improves plant physiological, morphological, and biochemical parameters by neutralizing metals toxicity. However, Fe deficiency resulted in malnutrition that affects human population worldwide. Various strategies have been used to enhance food quality, improve Fe uptake from soil and increased Fe shortage through a process known as biofortification. Fe uptake can be enhanced by overexpressing genes. Micronutrients level in plants could also be enhanced through agricultural practices, plant breeding, and biotechnology techniques.