Role of calcium nutrition in plant Physiology: Advances in research and insights into acidic soil conditions - A comprehensive review

• Published in: Plant physiology and biochemistry Vol. 210; p. 108602
• Main Authors: Jing, Tao, Li, Jingyang, He, Yingdui, Shankar, Alka, Saxena, Abhishek, Tiwari, Archana, Maturi, Krishna Chaitanya, Solanki, Manoj Kumar, Singh, Vijai, Eissa, Mamdouh A., Ding, Zheli, Xie, Jianghui, Awasthi, Mukesh Kumar
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: France Elsevier Masson SAS 01.05.2024
• Subjects: Biological processes; Calcium - metabolism; Calcium ions; Crops, Agricultural; Fertilizers; Genetic engineering; Genome sequencing; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Nanotechnology; Nutrient availability; Plant Physiological Phenomena; Soil - chemistry; Soil acidity; Genome sequencing; Biological processes; Soil acidity; Nutrient availability; Genetic engineering; Calcium ions; Nanotechnology
• ISSN: 0981-9428; 1873-2690
• DOI: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2024.108602

Plant mineral nutrition has immense significance for crop productivity and human well-being. Soil acidity plays a major role in determining the nutrient availability that influences plant growth. The importance of calcium (Ca) in biological processes, such as signaling, metabolism, and cell growth, underlines its critical role in plant growth and development. This review focuses on soil acidification, a gradual process resulting from cation leaching, fertilizer utilization, and drainage issues. Soil acidification significantly hampers global crop production by modifying nutrient accessibility. In acidic soils, essential nutrients, such as nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), and Ca become less accessible, establishing a correlation between soil pH and plant nutrition. Cutting-edge Ca nutrition technologies, including nanotechnology, genetic engineering, and genome sequencing, offer the potential to deliver Ca and reduce the reliance on conventional soluble fertilizers. These fertilizers not only contribute to environmental contamination but also impose economic burdens on farmers. Nanotechnology can enhance nutrient uptake, and Ca nanoparticles improve nutrient absorption and release. Genetic engineering enables the cultivation of acid-tolerant crop varieties by manipulating Ca-related genes. High-throughput technologies such as next-generation sequencing and microarrays aid in identifying the microbial structures, functions, and biosynthetic pathways involved in managing plant nutritional stress. The ultimate goal is to shed light on the importance of Ca, problems associated with soil acidity, and potential of emerging technologies to enhance crop production while minimizing the environmental impact and economic burden on farmers. •Impact of Ca-based fertilizer on plant growth was investigated.•Ca deficit leads to plant disease and microbiome changes in soil environment.•Ca absorption and transport mechanisms were evaluated.•Ca based fertilizer application was evaluated.