Plant-Metal Interactions

Metal toxicity and deficiency are both common abiotic problems faced by plants. While metal contamination around the world is a critical issue, the bioavailability of some essential metals like zinc (Zn) and selenium (Se) can be seriously low in other locations. The list of metals spread in high concentrations in soil, water and air includes several toxic as well as essential elements, such as arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), aluminum (Al), and selenium (Se). The problems for some metals are geographically confined, while for others, they are widespread. For instance, arsenic is an important toxic metalloid whose contamination in Southeast Asia and other parts of world is well documented. Its threats to human health via food consumption have generated immense interest in understanding plants' responses to arsenic stress.

Metals constitute crucial components of key enzymes and proteins in plants. They are important for the proper growth and development of plants. In turn, plants serve as sources of essential elements for humans and animals. Studies of their physiological effects on plants metabolism have led to the identification of crucial genes and proteins controlling metal uptake and transport, as well as the sensing and signaling of metal stresses. Plant-Metal Interactions sheds light on the latest development and research in analytical biology with respect to plant physiology. More importantly, it showcases the positive and negative impacts of metals on crop plants growth and productivity.

Dr. Penna Suprasanna is a Senior Scientist & Head of Plant Stress Physiology and Biotechnology Group, Nuclear Agriculture and Biotechnology Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, and is the Professor, Homi Bhabha National Institute, Department of Atomic Energy, Mumbai. Dr. Suprasanna made significant contributions to crop biotechnology research through radiation-induced mutagenesis, plant cell and tissue culture, genomics, and abiotic stress tolerance. His research on radiation-induced mutagenesis and in vitro selection in sugarcane yielded several agronomically superior mutants for sugar yield and stress tolerance. He has made intensive efforts to apply radiation mutagenesis techniques in vegetatively propagated plants through collaborative research projects with several national and international bodies (IAEA, Vienna). He is also serving as the DBT Expert/Nominee on Biosafety committees. He is the recipient of the 'Award of Scientific and Technical Excellence' by the Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India; is the Fellow of Maharashtra Academy of Sciences, Andhra Pradesh Academy of Sciences, Telangana Academy of Sciences, and Association of Biotechnology. Dr. Suprasanna has published more than 250 research papers/articles in national and international journals/books, edited two Springer books, and has guided several doctoral students. His research is focused on molecular biology of abiotic stress tolerance and salt-stress adaptive mechanisms in plants. The research group led by him has successfully identified novel microRNAs, plant bioregulators besides validating the concept of redox regulation toward abiotic stress tolerance and crop productivity.

Dr. Ashish Kumar Srivastava is presently working as Scientific Officer in Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai. His research is focussed on developing strategies for enhancing crop resilience towards different abiotic stresses. The stimulatory potential of thiourea (a reactive-oxygen species scavenger) has been demonstrated for enhancing stress tolerance and crop productivity through lab and small-scale field experiments, and by conducting multi-location field trials at salt- and drought-affected fields of Rajasthan. A small-scale technology has been developed for increasing yield and reducing arsenic accumulation from rice grains. Besides, thiourea has been used as a chemical probe for delineating redox-regulatory components of stress tolerance. He has proposed a bifurcative model of thiourea action wherein redox homeostasis acts as 'central' point to regulate gene-expression through miRNA and hormones. To summarize, he is employing the combination of physiology, molecular biology and biotechnology to understand crops behavior under stress and develop suitable strategy to minimize stress-induced yield losses in different crop plants. He has more than 40 research and review articles and book chapters to his credit. He has been awarded Young Scientist Award of National Academy of Sciences, India (NASI), Allahabad in 2018, Young Scientist Medal from Indian National Science Academy (INSA) in 2014 and Young Scientist Award from Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) in 2014. He has also received President International Fellowship Award from Chinese Academy of Sciences, China in 2016 and and EMBO Short term Fellowship in 2011.