Toxicity of aluminium on various levels of plant cells and organism: A review

Abstract

Industrial revolution brought prodigious encroachment on agricultural productivity but at apparent environmental costs. One of the major unfortunate consequences of industrialization is soil acidification. In acidic soils, aluminium (Al) is the primary limitation of crop productivity worldwide. Inception of soil acidification (pH < 5) brings solubilisation of toxic forms of Al into the soil solution, where already micromolar concentrations of it inhibit root growth and cause impairment of several other physiological and metabolic functions. Almost 50% of the total world's potentially arable land consists of acidic soils that cause Al toxicity hazard. The problem of Al toxicity has been further aggravated by the use of fertilizers and acid rains. This review provides the current updates of uptake mechanisms, accumulation and subcellular localization of Al in plants, as well as several aspects of Al functioning on various levels of plant organism. © 2017 Elsevier B.V.