ABSTRACT
Iron is an essential nutritional element for all organisms. It functions as a component of many important enzymes and proteins involved in fundamentally biochemical processes. Iron (Fe) deficiency is one of the most serious malnutrition conditions threatening human health in the world because various physiological diseases, such as anemia, Wilson’s, Parkinson’s, and Menken’s, are triggered by Fe deficiency. In plants, Fe is one of the most common elements limiting plant growth because it exists predominantly in an oxidized ferric form [Fe(III)] in aerobic environments. Iron deficiency in plants causes chlorosis and leads to decrease yield and food quality. This chapter focuses on reviewing the progress of molecular regulation mechanisms of Fe acquisition in the strategy I plants. Reduction of ferric to ferrous Fe is an obligatory step for Fe uptake in strategy I plants. In strategy I plants, Fe is mainly acquired from soil as ferrous ion into cells.
