Molecular mechanisms of plant adaptation to acid soils: A review

• Published in: Pedosphere Vol. 33; no. 1; pp. 14 - 22
• Main Authors: CHE, Jing, ZHAO, Xue Qiang, SHEN, Ren Fang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.02.2023; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing 100049 China; State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture,Institute of Soil Science,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Nanjing 210008 China
• Subjects: aluminum; aluminum toxicity; biotechnology; gene manipulation; genes; manganese toxicity; multiple stresses; phosphorus; phosphorus deficiency; plant adaptation; plant growth; soil; toxicity; transporter; phosphorus deficiency; multiple stresses; manganese toxicity; gene manipulation; aluminum toxicity; transporter
• ISSN: 1002-0160; 2210-5107
• DOI: 10.1016/j.pedsph.2022.10.001

Acid soils are widespread and limit global plant production. Aluminum (Al)/manganese (Mn) toxicity and phosphorus (P) deficiency are the major limiting factors affecting plant growth and productivity on acid soils. Plants, however, have evolved various strategies to adapt to these stresses. These strategies include using both external and internal mechanisms to adapt to Al toxicity, regulating Mn uptake, translocation, and distribution to avoid Mn toxicity, and orchestrating a set of P transport mechanisms to efficiently take up P from the soil. Here, we review the current state of knowledge about the molecular mechanisms of plant adaptation to these constraints in acid soils, focusing on the roles of transporters involved in Al/Mn tolerance and P efficiency. Gene manipulation combined with other biotechnology will contribute to the development of novel strategies to improve plant adaptation to acid soils. The molecular mechanisms of plant coadaptation to multiple stresses in acid soils are largely unknown and require further investigation.