ABSTRACT
Heavy metals such as cadmium, lead, iron, manganese, copper, cobalt, zinc, arsenic are major sources of environmental pollution especially in areas that witness high anthropogenic activities. Although these are essential nutrients required for the growth and development of plants, however,their excess concentrations have adverse effects on plants and attribute towards agricultural loss worldwide. Heavy metals increase oxidative stress and the production of ROS resulting in the impairment of important physiological and biochemical processes in plants that influence growth, metabolism, and senescence. Hence, the impact of increase, as well as deficiency in any mineral nutrient in plants, needs to be evaluated to understand the stress mechanisms and their better management. This can be achieved through ionomics, which involves the study of all mineral nutrition and trace elements. The chapter below lists the heavy metal uptake mechanisms and their various interactions with plant nutrients and the possible role of macro and micronutrients in alleviating heavy metal toxicity.
