Beneficial elements: New Players in improving nutrient use efficiency and abiotic stress tolerance

Abstract

Plant requires seventeen essential mineral elements for proper growth and functioning classified as macro and micro-nutrients. Apart from these, cerium (Ce), cobalt (Co), iodine (I), aluminum (Al), selenium (Se), sodium (Na), lanthanum (La), silicon (Si), titanium (Ti), and vanadium (V) are evolving as pivotal bio-stimulants in plant growth and providing stress tolerance. Although, they are not mandatory for all plants directly but when they are supplemented, promote the plant growth positively and simulate multiple abiotic and biotic stresses tolerance. Though, these elements have crucial role in plant growth, still obscurethe uptake, transport and molecular understanding as much of macro and micronutrients. However, in recent years scientists are giving more emphasis to explore their mechanisms associated with enhancing antioxidant defense, stress responsive proteins accumulation, and transcription factors under variety of stresses. Likely, they are also crosstalk with other essential elements and plant growth regulators (PGRs) (salicylic acid, SA; jasmonic acid, JA), which is crucial for signaling network perception and regulate plant growth. Recent technologies developed in the field of nanotechnology assist in the further understanding of their uptake, transport and functions at cellular level andoptimizing their concentrations for better plant growth. Bio-fortification of crops with beneficial elements provides some cues regarding their importance in plant growth and also in human balance nutrition. To considering the importance of these compound, this review aimed to explore the uptake and transport mechanisms of beneficial elements and their function in plant development. Consequently, we pinpoint the crosstalk’s between PGRs and other mineral elements, which advance their crucial role during plant mineral nutrition and growth signaling. At the end, this review focused on the crucial role and mechanisms associated with these elements under multiple abiotic stresses that open exciting avanues in several directions related to crop stress breeding program. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.