Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 12
Arsenic Toxicity and Tolerance Mechanisms
in Plants: An Overview
Saiema Rasool, Muneeb U. Rehman, Mohamed Mahgoub Azooz,
Muhammad Iqbal, Tariq Omar Siddiqi and Parvaiz Ahmad
Abstract
Heavy metal stress is increasing at an alarming rate in agricultural soils
through out the world. Heavy metal (Cd, Cu, Zn, Ni, Co, Cr, Pb and As) toxicity
have been reported to be responsible for the reduced crop production. Among the
heavy metals arsenic (As) is non-essential and toxic to both plants and animals. As
can exist in environment in the form of oxidized arsenate (AsV) and reduced arse-
nite (AsIII). As stress has become a global concern, the uptake of As in the plants
through contaminated soil will make its entry into the human food chain. As toxicity
can lead to skin, bladder, lung and prostate cancer. Soil contaminated with As is the
main source of arsenic in drinking water. Uptake of As by plants is very important
in understanding its physiological effects and its metabolism within plants. How
plants respond to the arsenic stress in plants is a major concern to biologists. As per
the published literature numerous physiological processes are affected by the As
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