Natural processes and human activities have caused widespread background
contamination with non-essential toxic elements. The uptake and accumulation of cadmium …

Arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury are toxic elements that are almost ubiquitously present
at low levels in the environment because of anthropogenic influences. Dietary intake of plant …

Practically all human populations are environmentally exposed to cadmium (Cd), mostly
through plant-derived food. A growing body of epidemiological evidence suggests that there …

Plants and seeds are the main source of essential nutrients for humans and livestock. Many
advances have recently been made in understanding the molecular mechanisms by which …

Plants absorb a number of elements from soil, some of which have no known biological
function and some are known to be toxic at low concentrations. As plants constitute the …

Iron, zinc, copper and manganese are essential metals for cellular enzyme functions while
cadmium, mercury and the metalloid arsenic lack any biological function. Both, essential …

Agricultural soils are under threat of toxic metal/metalloid contamination from anthropogenic
activities, leading to excessive accumulation of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and …

Both plants and humans require mineral elements for their healthy growth and development.
Mineral elements in the soil are taken up by the plant roots and transported to the edible …

Over the past 200 years emissions of toxic heavy metals have risen tremendously and
significantly exceed those from natural sources for practically all metals. Uptake and …

Producing nutritious and safe foods sufficiently and sustainably is the ultimate goal of
modern agriculture. Past efforts have focused on increasing crop yields, but enhancing the …