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Beryllium in the environment: Whether fatal for plant growth?

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Abstract

Beryllium could be a threatening heavy metal pollutant in the agro-ecosystem that may severely affect the performance of crops. Beryllium is used in various industries to make nuclear weapons and reactors, aircraft and space vehicle structures, instruments, and X-ray machines, and its entry into the environment is alarming for the productivity and sustainability of the ecosystem. In this review, we present a contemporary synthesis of the existing data regarding the toxic effects of beryllium on toxicity on biochemical and physiological processes in plants. Moreover, uptake, translocation, and assimilation of beryllium and its interaction with some essential mineral elements are also discussed. Although limited data are available regarding biochemical responses of plants to beryllium toxicity, we tried to clarify some basic physiological and biochemical steps that can be hampered by beryllium in plants. We linked our hypothetical concepts with previous evidence and provide a comprehensive summary of all possible remediation strategies that can be used for plants. Overall, we hope this review will be beneficial due to its practical implications and research directions.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful for support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31271665).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. MOA Key Laboratory of Crop Eco Physiology and Farming System in the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, People’s Republic of China

    Adnan Noor Shah & Guozheng Yang

  2. National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, People’s Republic of China

    Mohsin Tanveer & Saddam Hussain

  3. College of Resources and Environment, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China

    Saddam Hussain

  4. School of Land and Food, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia

    Mohsin Tanveer

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  1. Adnan Noor Shah
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  2. Mohsin Tanveer
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  3. Saddam Hussain
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  4. Guozheng Yang
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Correspondence to Guozheng Yang.

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Shah, A.N., Tanveer, M., Hussain, S. et al. Beryllium in the environment: Whether fatal for plant growth?. Rev Environ Sci Biotechnol 15, 549–561 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11157-016-9412-z

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