Beneficial Role of Metalloids in Plants: Molecular Understanding and Applicability

Abstract

Within the periodic table, metalloids are highlighted as a separate class of essential micronutrients which show chemical properties between metals and non-metals. Along with other elements, these metalloids are instrumental in governing plant’s growth, biomass, health, development, metabolism, reproduction and productivity. However, due to modern agricultural practices, rapid industrialization, burning of fossils fuels, military operations, metalliferous mining and anthropogenic activities, there has been an increase in the threshold level of various metals and metalloids in the past 50 years. As a result, the long-term effects of various metalloids have been assessed on the environment, human, livestock and plant health throughout the last two decades. Parallely, the information about bioavailability, accumulation, uptake and metabolism within the plant at various cellular sites has been gathered. One of the relevant components of metalloid which orchestrate the metalloid uptake, translocation and sequestration are metalloid transporters. Therefore, in this chapter, we have highlighted the metalloid sources, beneficial roles, distribution, uptake and transporters.