Due to the consequences of urbanization and industrialization, heavy metal contamination in the environment is a world wide problem, threatening to the plants, animals, and human beings. Most heavy metals occur naturally in soils as trace elements, the biota-require some of these elements as essential micronutrients. These heavy metals at their higher concentrations, found toxic in living organisms. Their release into the environment in biologically available forms, as a result of human activity, may damage or alter both natural and man-made ecosystems. The most obvious sources of metal pollution are the process of extraction and purification, mining, smelting and refining, use of metal containing agricultural sprays, pesticides, fertilizers, industrial effluents, automobile combustion, municipal incinerators, sewage sludge and industrial effluents etc. The soils derived from ultra-basic igneous rocks, particularly serpentine, contain high nickel content. There is greater concern about nickel toxicity in crop plants regarding, for example, the application of sewage sludge (Pandey, 2006), which is often high in nickel.

Proceedings of the International Symposium on `Zinc in Soils and Plants', held at The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, 27--28 September 1993

This volume of Current Topics in Membranes focuses on metal transmembrane transporters and pumps, a recently discovered family of membrane proteins with many important roles in the physiology of living organisms. The book summarizes the most recent advances in the field of metal ion transport and provides a broad overview of the major classes of transporters involved in homeostasis of heavy metals. Various families of the transporters and metal specificities are discussed with the focus on the structural and mechanistic aspects of their function and regulation. The reader will access information obtained through a variety of approaches ranging from X-ray crystallography to cell biology and bioinformatics, which have been applied to transporters identified in diverse biological systems, such as pathogenic bacteria, plants, humans and others. Field is cutting-edge and a lot of the information is new to research community Wide breadth of topic coverage Contributors of high renown and expertise

A deficiency of one or more of the eight plant micronutrients (boron, chlorine, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum, nickel and zinc) will adversely affect both the yield and quality of crops. Micronutrient deficiencies in crops occur in many parts of the world, at various scales (from one to millions of hectares), but differences in soil conditions, climate, crop genotypes and management, result in marked variations in their occurrence. The causes, effects and alleviation of micronutrient deficiencies in crops in: Australia, India, China, Turkey, the Near East, Africa, Europe, South America and the United States of America, are covered, and these are representative of most of the different conditions under which crops are grown anywhere in the world. Links between low contents of iodine, iron and zinc (human micronutrients) in staple grains and the incidence of human health problems are discussed, together with the ways in which the micronutrient content of food crops can be increased and their bioavailability to humans improved. Detailed treatment of topics, such as: soil types associated with deficiencies, soil testing and plant analysis, field experiments, innovative treatments, micronutrients in the subsoil, nutrient interactions, effects of changing cropping systems, micronutrient budgets and hidden deficiencies in various chapters provides depth to the broad coverage of the book. This book provides a valuable guide to the requirements of crops for plant micronutrients and the causes, occurrence and treatment of deficiencies. It is essential reading for many agronomy, plant nutrition and agricultural extension professionals.

This third edition of the book has been completely re-written, providing a wider scope and enhanced coverage. It covers the general principles of the natural occurrence, pollution sources, chemical analysis, soil chemical behaviour and soil-plant-animal relationships of heavy metals and metalloids, followed by a detailed coverage of 21 individual elements, including: antimony, arsenic, barium, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, copper, gold, lead, manganese, mercury, molybdenum, nickel, selenium, silver, thallium, tin, tungsten, uranium, vanadium and zinc. The book is highly relevant for those involved in environmental science, soil science, geochemistry, agronomy, environmental health, and environmental engineering, including specialists responsible for the management and clean-up of contaminated land.

Efforts to increase efficient nutrient use by crops are of growing importance as the global demand for food, fibre and fuel increases and competition for resources intensifies. The Molecular and Physiological Basis of Nutrient Use Efficiency in Crops provides both a timely summary of the latest advances in the field as well as anticipating directions for future research. The Molecular and Physiological Basis of Nutrient Use Efficiency in Crops bridges the gap between agronomic practice and molecular biology by linking underpinning molecular mechanisms to the physiological and agronomic aspects of crop yield. These chapters provide an understanding of molecular and physiological mechanisms that will allow researchers to continue to target and improve complex traits for crop improvement. Written by leading international researchers, The Molecular and Physiological Basis of Nutrient Use Efficiency in Crops will be an essential resource for the crop science community for years to come. Special Features: coalesces current knowledge in the areas of efficient acquisition and utilization of nutrients by crop plants with emphasis on modern developments addresses future directions in crop nutrition in the light of changing climate patterns including temperature and water availability bridges the gap between traditional agronomy and molecular biology with focus on underpinning molecular mechanisms and their effects on crop yield includes contributions from a leading team of global experts in both research and practical settings

This book is based to a great extent on the biochemical and molecular mechanisms of tolerance of commonly encountered abiotic stresses in nature. This book will deal with increasing temperature, water, salinity, and heavy metals and ozone, and how these abiotic stresses can be managed by microbes through their alleviation mechanisms. Water stress includes both drought and flooding. 1st section outlines the relevance of abiotic stresses in present day environmental conditions. The 2nd section deals with three major stresses - temperature, water and salinity and the metabolic changes and protective adjustments in plants for withstanding these stresses. The 3rd section deals with the role of heavy metals and ozone. The final section is devoted to general abiotic stresses and their alleviation by microbes. These offer a cost-effective and eco-friendly means of combating different stresses.