Alleviation of boron toxicity in plants: Mechanisms and approaches

Abstract

Boron (B) is an essential element for higher plants, while it becomes toxic when present in excessive concentrations. Many approaches have been developed to alleviate B toxicity in plants. This paper summarizes the recent advances in the mechanisms and related approaches for B toxicity alleviation, discusses the limitations of different approaches, and proposes suggestions for future studies. The alleviative approaches have been briefly outlined as three mechanisms. The first is the decrease in tissue B concentration, including the decrease in soil available B and the restriction on B uptake. The second is the decrease in cellular active B, including the formation of inert complexes and the regulation of B translocation. The third is the increase in physiological tolerance, including the prevention of oxidative damages, the enhancement of photosynthesis, the improvement of plant water status, and the screening of B-tolerant genotypes or rootstocks. The alleviative approaches mainly include the application of nutrient elements, plant growth regulators, and plant growth-promoting microbes. Leaching B out of the topsoil and washing B off the plant leaf using water are also included. Future perspectives regarding more practical approaches for B toxicity alleviation and a better understanding of related mechanisms have been proposed.

Graphical Abstract

Keywords:

• Boron toxicity
• boron tolerance
• boron accumulation

Acknowledgements

We thank Miss Jia Li and Mr. Wenkai Lu for their contribution to the original draft.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31370519), the Student Innovation Project of Nankai University (201810055374, 201910055807), the 111 Program of the Ministry of Education of China (T2017002), and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities.