International Agricultural Research Research Articles

The search for new models for organizing regional agricultural research in the post-colonial era: Rice in West Africa

ABSTRACT The West African Rice Development Association (WARDA), created in 1971 as a regional network of rice research stations and governed by member countries, was unique within the system of international agricultural research centers that emerged in the post-colonial era. This paper reviews the actors, the actors, their motives, and the political and organizational debates involves in establishing WARDA. In particular, it traces the roles and interests of the former colonial powers, especially the French, the newly independent countries of the region, international organizations, and US foreign assistance and philanthropic agencies. Although all agreed that rice research was a priority for regional cooperation, the design of WARDA stimulated debates around centralization, governance, and funding of international research that continue until today.

Using the GlutoPeak Tester in Determining the Quality Characteristics of Some Bread Wheat Varieties

The aim of this study is to determine the physical, chemical and technological, rheological properties of 10 registered bread wheat varieties developed by Bahri Dağdaş International Agricultural Research Institute and their quality status in bread analyzes and GutoPeak analyzes. At the same time, it is aimed to investigate the relationships between physical, chemical, technological, rheological and bread analyzes with GlutoPeak quality parameters and to reveal the potentials of the varieties. In the study, some quality parameters and significance levels between varieties were determined. Also, the results obtained from the GlutoPeak analysis are explained by comparing them with other quality parameters. Protein ratio, wet gluten and Zeleny sedimentation values were found to be highly correlated with GlutoPeak AM, BEM, AGGRE, PM, GPRT, GW and GWA. In addition, it was determined that there was a high correlation between farinograph water absorption and GlutoPeak AGGRE, AM, BEM, GGLT, GPRT, GW, GWA and PM values. Alveograph W value was positively correlated with GlutoPeak AM, BEM, PM, GPRT, GGLT, GW, GWA and AGGRE values and negatively correlated with PMT. The results obtained in terms of the examined characteristics in this study show that some varieties stand out in terms of different quality characteristics. With the results of this study, it was determined that the GlutoPeak device can detect the quality of wheat flour with less sample and in a short time, therefore, GlutoPeak analysis will be useful in variety development and similar studies in bread wheat.

The economic impact of CGIAR-related crop technologies on agricultural productivity in developing countries, 1961–2020

The international agricultural research centers that comprise the CGIAR got their start in the 1960s. They soon made major contributions to crop improvement in developing countries, particular in rice and wheat in Asia. Today, farmers can acquire new technologies from many sources, and evidence of whether the CGIAR continues to play an important role in crop improvement has become dated. This paper brings together an expanded set of evidence on the diffusion and productivity impact of CGIAR crop research through 2020, and breaks out these impacts by crop, region, and over time. By 2016–2020, CGIAR-related crop technologies had been adopted on at least 221 million hectares across Asia, Africa and Latin America, generating economic welfare gains of $47 billion annually. In the 2010s, technology adoption and welfare impacts were increasing by about $600 million annually, almost as much as in the 1990s. In the early days of the “Green Revolution,” these welfare impacts were largely confined to rice and wheat in Asia, but in recent decades have grown to include a larger range of crops and geographies, notably cassava and maize in Sub-Saharan Africa. Although improved crop varieties have been the main technology through which CGIAR crop centers have achieved these impacts, CGIAR-related integrated pest management and natural resource management technologies have also made significant contributions to crop productivity. In addition to raising farm income, productivity gains in staple crops have lowered food prices, thereby benefitting the whole population. This is a key reason why agricultural productivity growth, and food crop productivity growth in particular, has had greater impacts on poverty reduction in low-income countries than comparable productivity growth in other sectors.

Bazı pamuk hatlarının tarla koşullarında Verticillium dahliae Kleb. solgunluğuna duyarlılıklarının belirlenmesi

Verticillium wilt caused by the soil-borne pathogen is one of the most significant diseases affecting the yield of cotton and is almost incurable with chemical agents. For this reason, it will be inevitable to cultivate resistant varieties. In this direction, this study was carried out to determine the response of cotton varieties and inbred lines obtained from cotton breeding projects of the GAP International Agricultural Research and Training Center (GAPUTAEM) in Diyarbakır, Türkiye to Verticillium wilt disease. The trial was conducted in a randomized complete block design with four replications during the 2016 and 2017 cotton growing seasons. In the study, 12 advanced inbred lines (8, 20, 30, 34, 38, 57, 58, 63, 64, 8/4, 5/7, and 8/1) and 3 control varieties [Stoneville 468, Carmen (tolerant control), and Çukurova-1518 (sensitive-control)] were tested for the response to Verticillium wilt under naturally infected field conditions. Disease severity was determined in the leaf at 5-10% and 50-60% of the boll opening stages and in the stem section after harvest. Additionally, some yield parameters and fiber quality properties were investigated in the study. The results indicated that there were significant differences among genotypes for most of the investigated characteristics.It was determined that with regard to foliar disease index (FDI) as mentioned boll opening stages and disease index of stem cross-section (SDI) the most tolerant genotype was inbred line 38, while the most sensitive variety was Çukurova-1518. As a result of their low disease index value and high yield capacity, the inbred lines 30, 57, 38, and 20 were recommended.

A successful smallholder cattle fattening project based on leucaena diets in eastern Indonesia

This paper describes the outcomes of a five-year (2011-2016) partnership project between the Indonesian Government and the Australian Centre for international Agricultural Research. The objective was to promote the use of Leucaena leucocephala for fattening cattle in the Provinces of West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) and East Nusa Tenggara (NTT). Detailed biophysical and socio-economic measurements demonstrated that it was possible to double productivity of smallholder cattle by improving their nutrition based on feeding leucaena, thus improving the livelihoods of farming families. The results highlighted an opportunity to similarly enhance productivity of other smallholder cattle enterprises in Indonesia and in other tropical developing countries.

Considerations for Research Funders and Managers to Facilitate the Translation of Scientific Knowledge into Practice.

Research funders and managers can play a critical role in supporting the translation of knowledge into action by facilitating the brokering of knowledge and partnerships. We use semi-structured interviews with a research funding agency, the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), to explore (i) ways that funders can facilitate knowledge brokering, the (ii) barriers to, and (iii) enablers for, facilitating knowledge brokering, and (iv) the individual skills and attributes for research program funders and managers to be effective brokers. Based on these findings, we generate three considerations for research funders elsewhere, in particular R4D funders, seeking to build capacity for knowledge brokering: (i) formalise the process and practice, (ii) develop shared language and understanding, and (iii) build individual competencies and capabilities. Our findings complement the existing literature with a context specific analysis of how research funders can facilitate knowledge brokering, and by identifying the barriers and enablers in doing so.

Determination of Resistance of Winter Wheat Varieties Against Root and Crown Rot Fusarium culmorum Under the Artificial Drought Conditions

This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between the recent increase in the frequency of drought conditions and Root-Crown Rot (Fusarium pseudograminearum, Fusarium culmorum) in rainfed wheat growing areas of Central Anatolia. In 2018, the experiment was established in the greenhouse of Konya Bahri Dağdaş International Agricultural Research Institute using 25 registered wheat varieties in a randomised block split-plot experimental design with 4 replications. Irrigation levels (100% field capacity and 50% field capacity) were designed as main plots, inoculation (+ and -) as subplots and varieties as sub-subplots. In the study, the response of the cultivars to inoculation under artificial drought conditions was evaluated by measuring Crown Score (CR), Lesion Length (LL), Number of Diseased Leaves from outside to inside (NDL) and Plant Height (PH) from five plants in each pot. Statistically, the differences between inoculation, irrigation, NDL and LL were found to be significant at P<0.0001 level, while the differences between varieties were found to be significant at P<0.001 level for the CR parameter. On the other hand, when the interactions were evaluated for the NDL parameter, the differences were found to be significant at P<0.0001 level for all three interactions of cultivar*inoculation, cultivar*irrigation and cultivar*inoculation*irrigation. When the effect of reduced water application intended to be used in resistance breeding was evaluated for 25 different varieties under Fusarium culmorum inoculation, there was an increase in CR from 41,7% (Gerek-79) to 487,5% (Altay-2000), NDL from 7,14% (Kirgiz-95) to 200% (Alpu-2001), LL from -36,84% (Karahan-99) to 283,33% (Altay-2000) and in PH reduction from 12,41% (Seval) to 32,22% (Kirgiz-95). The results showed that drought-stressed plants were already weakened and therefore more easily and severely infected by pathogens. According to these results, it has been determined that it is very important for the region to obtain resistance to drought and crown rot diseases, which have such an obvious relationship, in breeding studies.

Determination of the tolerance of physiological, morphological, and yield parameters of landrace durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) to high-temperature stress

In the South-eastern Anatolia Region, where the climate is favorable to cultivation for durum wheat, there have been notable reductions in both yield and quality due to biotic and abiotic stress factors in the region. Primary one of these stresses is high-temperature stress. High-temperature stress, specifically during the late flowering stage and early grain filling stage, results in substantial reductions in both crop yield and quality. In this study, several practical, easily and rapidly quantifiable physiological, morphological, and yield-related parameters that may be used in durum wheat improvement programs in the region for high-temperature stress tolerance were investigated. Ninety landrace durum genotypes and 4 standard cultivars were used. The study was carried out at GAP (South-eastern Anatolia Project) International Agricultural Research and Training Centre in an air conditioning room according to an augmented design under optimum conditions and stressful conditions where high-temperature stress was created. Compared to optimum conditions, there were reductions in flag leaf greening time by 20%, days to maturity by 7%, spike length by 10%, peduncle length by 18%, grain filling time by 23%, number of spikelets on the spike by 12%, number of grains on the spike by 39%, and thousand-kernel weight by 33%, while grain filling rate increased under high-temperature stress conditions. The genotypes 82, 83, 87, 88, 99, and 103 and the standard varieties Artuklu and Sümerli prevailed in both optimum and stress conditions. The fact that leaf erectness, flag leaf greening time, grain filling time, and leaf chlorophyll content among morphological and physiological characteristics had a significant correlation with yield components under both conditions indicates that these characteristics can be used as selection criteria for tolerance to stressful conditions in the region.

Navigating the landscape of global sustainable livelihood research: past insights and future trajectory.

Sustainable livelihoods (SL) have emerged as a crucial area of focus in global environmental change research, aligning with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This field is rapidly gaining prominence in sustainability science and has become one of the primary research paradigms. In our study, we conducted scientometrics analysis using the ISI Web of Science core collection database to examine research patterns and frontier areas in SL research. We selected 6441 papers and 265,759 references related to SL published from 1991 to 2020. To achieve this, we employed advanced quantitative analysis tools such as CiteSpace and VOSviewer to quantitatively analyze and visualize the evolution of literature in the SL research field. Our overarching objectives were to understand historical research characteristics, identify the knowledge base, and determine future research trends. The results revealed an exponential increase in SL research documentation since 1991, with the Consortium of International Agricultural Research Center (CGIAR) contributing the highest volume of research documents and citations. Key journals in this field included World Development, Global Environmental Change, Ecological Economics, and Ecology and Society. Notably, Singh RK and Shackleton CM emerged as prolific authors in SL research. Through our analysis, we identified six primary clusters of research areas: livelihoods, conservation, food security, management, climate change, and ecosystem services. Additionally, we found that tags such as rural household, agricultural intensification, cultural intensification, and livelihoods vulnerability remained relevant and represented active research hotspots. By analyzing keyword score relevance, we identified frontier areas in SL research, including mass tourism, solar home systems, artisanal and small-scale mining, forest quality, marine-protected areas, agricultural sustainability, sustainable rangeland management, and indigenous knowledge. These findings provide valuable insights to stakeholders regarding the historical, current, and future trends in SL research, offering strategic opportunities to enhance the sustainability of livelihoods for farmers and rural communities in alignment with the SDGs.

A mixed-methods evaluation of capacity strengthening within an international conservation agriculture research consortium.

Background: The Strengthening Capacity in Environmental Physics, Hydrogeology and Statistics for conservation agriculture research (CEPHaS) consortium sought to to strengthen research capacity among a network of African and UK researchers, and their respective institutions, to fill knowledge gaps on the impacts of conservation agriculture practices on the water cycle in cultivated soils. We examined experiences of consortium membership and, drawing on this information, determined key recommendations for future programmes with similar objectives. Methods: A mixed methods study encompassing an online survey (N=40) and semi-structured interviews (N=19) completed between June 2021 and February 2022 with CEPHaS consortium members from Malawi, UK, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Survey and interview data were analysed separately, using univariate statistics and framework synthesis respectively Results: Survey and interview findings were generally aligned, with both revealing a wide range of reported capacity strengthening gains resulting from CEPHaS engagement at both an individual and institutional level. Participants consistently expressed their CEPHaS involvement in positive terms with praise for the applied 'learn by doing' approach underpinning many of the activities as well as the engaging and highly inclusive leadership. There was evidence that the various trainings and resources provided through CEPHaS were valued, frequently utilised, and often transferred beyond the immediate CEPHaS membership for wider benefit. Resource provision and staff training were seen as foundational for long-term institutional benefits. Some challenges and suggested areas for improvement were reported by participants as were potential opportunities to facilitate greater impact. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the basic 'template' of the CEPHaS consortium provided a strong basis for research capacity strengthening in Conservation Agriculture, especially at the level of individual researchers, and that this template could be further enhanced in any future iteration of the same or similar programme. Recommendations for replicating and enhancing CEPHaS programme strengths are presented.

Applying circular economy principles to intensification of livestock production in Sub-Saharan Africa

In the context of sustainable agricultural development, much has been made of the need to apply agroecology or regenerative principles to improve rural livelihoods and to align the sector with critical planetary health boundaries. This movement is a reaction to the perceived private and social costs arising from both production and consumption associated with industrialised agriculture, mostly in upper-income countries, with several default assumptions being apparent about applicability elsewhere. The notion of circularity, or the circular economy, is frequently conflated with agro ecological rhetoric, often overlooking a longer tradition of circular resource use efficiency in traditional mixed crop–livestock farming in low-income settings. This paper examines the concept and origins of circularity and reviews some examples of historic circular economy research within the international agricultural research system as applied to smallholder agriculture. These include (i) studies focusing on the impact of crop residue retention, (ii) work on residue incorporation and/or mulching and their effects on crop yields and soil fertility, (iii) research on the effects of manure use on crop yields and soil fertility and (iv) work on the feeding of crop residues to livestock. We consider some promising innovations or practices adhering to circular economy principles. Candidate innovations focus on the improvement of livestock feeding practices including the breeding of dual-purpose crops to enhance livestock nutrition, conversion of cereal straw residues to high-quality feed, use of cassava waste as livestock feed and use of insects as livestock feed. We conclude by considering how circular bio-economy principles might be maintained in the future evolution of food systems in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Diversifying Description: Sweet Potato Science and International Agricultural Research after the Green Revolution.

The organization of sweet potato research across global regions began in earnest in the 1980s. Leading international institutions, notably CGIAR (Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research) recognized the potential for science-driven development of a "neglected" crop. Sweet potato was second only to potato in root crop cultivation worldwide and the top tuber in Asia yet had not been subject to the internationally coordinated research that its importance merited. In this paper, I explore how scientists involved in sweet potato research attempted to respond to the call for new international research and development efforts while avoiding the limitations of predecessor programs associated with the Green Revolution. I highlight the challenges inherent in this work by focusing on ambitions for-and challenges to-providing standardized information about samples of varieties used in research and entered into genebank collections. As scientists and institutions grappled with critiques of the top-down model of development, many sought to address these through more inclusive research practices. As I show, accommodating diversity in crops and among cultivators and cultures entailed costs that ultimately limited the longevity and effectiveness of some enterprises that sought to maximize inclusivity.

With and against the Grain

Abstract This article studies the Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center (AVRDC) in Taiwan. It begins with the Sino-American Joint Commission on Rural Reconstruction (JCRR), a US-funded agency championing plant breeding and land reform. Capitalizing on Japanese colonial legacy, a technocratic Chinese nationalism, and Cold War geopolitics, the JCRR boosted the productivity of rice while diversifying the agricultural economy through vegetable cultivation. The AVRDC, supported by the Rockefeller Foundation and the US government, was created in 1971 to bring this vision to Southeast Asia. The expulsion of Taiwan from the United Nations nonetheless threatened the center's survival. To carve out its sphere of influence, the AVRDC combined vegetable breeding programs with experiments on home gardening and small-scale agriculture, inserting itself into a bourgeoning sustainability discourse in the 1980s. The article argues that the center's ambiguous position within the international agricultural research network prompted it to adopt a “modest narrative” that celebrated not heroic figures but the collaborative endeavor of scientists sympathetic to farmers. However, the marginalization of agriculture and shifting identity politics in Taiwan made the center's achievement increasingly less relevant to its host country, thus complicating the significance of the AVRDC to the agricultural history of Taiwan.

Pathways from livestock to improved human nutrition: lessons learned in East Africa

AbstractThe Livestock CGIAR (Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research) Research Program (Livestock CRP) generated evidence on livestock-to-nutrition pathways through the implementation of nutrition-related livestock programs and research. In this analysis, we compiled lessons learned from Livestock CRP projects and identified recommendations for nutrition-sensitive livestock programming and research in the context of the literature and through the development of an updated livestock-to-nutrition pathways framework. The updated framework shows the interconnected nature of the three main pathways—own-consumption, income, and women’s empowerment—along with other pathways and includes contextual factors, which were lacking in previous frameworks. Eight Livestock CRP projects were reviewed, including five integrated livestock and human nutrition projects, two studies on drivers of food choice, and one study to develop and test a tool to measure nutrition outcomes among pastoralists. Key lessons learned were that women’s empowerment in livestock-to-nutrition pathways is important, but challenging to measure; engaging male partners improves nutrition in livestock-keeping households; nutrition-sensitive livestock programs and researchers should articulate and measure livestock-to-nutrition pathways they are addressing; livestock keeping does not guarantee access to animal source foods; context and livelihoods are not static and program design should be adapted accordingly; and digital data collection systems can provide accurate and timely nutrition information. Key recommendations include developing tools to fill measurement gaps; creating shorter versions of validated tools for ease of use; using complexity-aware evaluation methods to capture the interconnected nature of livestock-to-nutrition pathways and shifting livelihoods; and conducting pathways analyses to better understand linkages in the framework and further refine it.

Farklı Çevre Koşullarının Buğdayda Zeleny Sedimantasyon ve Ekmek Özelliklerine Etkisinin İncelenmesi

This study was carried out in Bahri Dağdaş International Agricultural Research Institute in the growing period of 2014-2015 with 14 different bread wheat varieties in rainfed and irrigated growing conditions according to a Randomized Block Trial Design with 2 replications. In the study, Zeleny sedimentation values and bread weight and bread volume traits of bread wheat varieties were investigated. Differences between varieties grown in irrigated and rainfed conditions were evaluated statistically. Zeleny sedimentation values were changed between 26.00-39.50 ml, bread weight was between 140.20-146.5 g, bread volume was between 340-475 cm3 and specific volume was between 2.36-3.37 cm3/g in rainfed conditions, while Zeleny sedimentation values were between 31-51 ml, bread weight was between 141.61-149.47 g, bread volume was 367.50-485.00 cm3 and specific volume 2.48-3.38 cm3/g in irrigated conditions. It has been determined that the varieties grown in irrigated conditions gave better values than in rainfed conditions in terms of the examined quality parameters.

Economic Returns to Agricultural Research: Thailand and Indonesia

In both Thailand and Indonesia, the public sector’s agricultural research investments have substantially contributed to agricultural productivity growth, as have international investments in agricultural research, through the Consortium of International Agricultural Research Centers (CGIAR) system. But both countries’ own expenditures on agricultural extension failed to produce significant productivity benefits. These findings imply that the magnitude of domestic investment in agricultural research is suboptimal in both countries. This is reflected in estimated marginal rates of return to this form of expenditure of between 25 percent and 30 percent per annum in real terms, well above the rates of return normally expected from public investments.

Investigation of generative high temperature tolerances of some cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) varieties

The potential of cotton genotypes to form buds, flowers and bolls is not sufficient to achieve cotton seed yield targets. Despite global warming buds, flowers and bolls that mature in cotton plants must be successfully transformed into products. However, this is related to the generative tolerance of the genotype to high temperature. In study aims to scan the negative effects of high temperature stress on the generative development on cotton varieties registered in Turkey in the last 10 years. The experiment was established in the GAP International Agricultural Research and Training Center trial field in 2020, with 4 blocks according to the Augmented design. Six standards (Tamcot Spnhix, SJU86, AGC208, ST468, ST474, Carmen) and 88 cotton varieties registered in Turkey National Variety List were used as trial material. In this study, high temperature pollen vitality stress index (HTPVSI) and high temperature shedding stress index (HTSSI) properties were investigated. According to the results of the experiments we conducted, it was determined that the HTPVSI values ranged between 0.17-1.26, the HTPVSI averages of the standards were 1.17, and the HTPVSI averages of the genotypes were 0.99. It has been determined that HTSSI values vary between 0.30-1.71. It was determined that the mean HTSSI values of the standards were 0.89 and the genotypes were 1.00. It was determined that there was a wide variation among the genotypes screened for generatively high temperature stress. Using HTSSI and HTPVSI features is recommended as a selection criterion since it is an important trait for screening genotypes in terms of tolerance or sensitivity to generative high temperature stress in cotton plants. In our study, the results were not similar to each other in terms of HTPVSI and HTSSI traits, due to the low share of flower shedding after applying HTSP (High Temperature Shock Practice: 96 hours of uninterrupted exposure to high temperature during generative periods) in the shedding rate. When the examined HTSSI and HTPVSI traits were examined together, no cotton genotypes were found to be generatively tolerant. In terms of sensitivity of genotypes to high temperature, 18 cotton genotypes were found in the medium tolerant group and 25 cotton genotypes were found in the sensitive group.

Impact assessment of the organic agriculture production training program in Northern Philippines

A study was conducted to assess the impacts of the Organic Agriculture Production (OAP) Training Program of Ifugao State University (IFSU) on beneficiaries. The Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) framework for impact assessment was used in tracing the impact pathways of the program. It utilized quantitative methods of data collection. The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics and the Likert scale. Respondents were the beneficiaries of the training that served as the treatment and non-beneficiaries that served as the control. The majority of the treatment and control respondents are young adults and middle-aged, female, married, finished secondary and college, have less than five household members, and are employed. Most of the respondents in the study have organizational affiliations. The inputs to the program were from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and the IFSU. The use of these inputs produced technological and capacity building outputs. All the training respondents received their National Certificates, which means that they are all competent in the use of the OAP technologies and that they can produce new products that they can utilize for subsistence and livelihood. The evidently used adoption pathways were capacity building and communication. Respondents from the treatment group “agreed” that their participation in the training resulted in capacity building outcomes utilized at a personal and organizational level. The training program showed significant impacts on farm income, total annual income, employment, organizational affiliation and involvement, and adoption. Policy recommendations for the improvement of the program are discussed.

The Rigor Revolution: New Standards of Evidence for Impact Assessment of International Agricultural Research

We take stock of the major changes in methodology for studying the impacts of international agricultural research, focusing on the period 2006–2020. Impact assessment of agricultural research has a long and recognized tradition. Until the mid-2000s, such assessments were dominated by a model of demand for and supply of agricultural products in partial equilibrium. The basic ideas for this approach were sketched out by Griliches more than half a century ago. We describe the implications of heightened standards of evidence for good practice in three domains of research design: causal inference, valid measurement, and statistical representativeness. We document advances in each of these domains and review recent evidence that demonstrates the lessons that can be learned from adopting these practices, emphasizing the importance of evidence at-scale, the need to consider portfolios of innovations at a national level, and the challenges of accounting for innovations that are promoted as bundles.

Potential roles of melatonin in mitigating the heavy metals toxicity in horticultural plants

Heavy metals (HMs) pollution is one of the most important environmental and agricultural soil challenges, and it is mostly caused by anthropogenic activities. International agricultural and environmental research focuses on decreasing HMs toxicity from soils of farmland, and mitigating HMs phytotoxicity. Melatonin (MT), being a multifunctional molecule, has strong antioxidant properties and is widely used to alleviate abiotic stresses particularly HMs. MT, a newly discovered signaling molecule and plant growth regulator, is essential for plants to be resistant towards abiotic stress. Present research indicates that MT is useful in reducing the toxic effects of HMs in horticultural crop, offering a fresh strategy to reduce HMs contamination in horticultural plants. This review highlights studies investigating the function of MT in reducing HMs toxicity in horticultural plants as well as related physiological and environmental mechanisms, such as lowering HMs accumulation in the rhizosphere, resolving and isolating HMs locally, sustaining mineral nutrient content, boosting antioxidant defense mechanisms, and actively engaging with hormonal signaling. The objective this of this review is theoretical framework for managing the accumulation of HMs ions in horticultural plants cultivated in polluted soil.