Recent advances in plant response to chromium stress

In recent years, heavy metal contamination of soils has worsened. For example, the release of chromium into the environment by the chemical industry is accelerating, and as such, Cr has become one of the main heavy metal ions causing environmental pollution. The contamination of soils by heavy metals is one of the main abiotic stressors that affects plant growth and development, and severe cases of heavy metal stress can even kill plants entirely. In addition, such pollution also represents a potential threat to human food safety. The effects of Cr depends on ionic charge, and Cr pollution mainly affects plant processes by inhibiting seed germination, blocking plant growth and development, and damaging cell structure. In this review, the effects of Cr stress on plant growth, physiology, biochemistry, and molecular regulation are summarized, thereby providing valuable insight into the selection of plants for remediating chromium-polluted soil, breeding of low-toxicity Cr-tolerant crops, and analyzing the mechanism of plant resistance to heavy metal stress.