[Book Chapter] Environmental metal cation stress and oxidative burst in plants - A review (original) (raw)

Many reports suggest the involvement of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in salt stress in plants. To date, it has not been well documented how rapidly plant cells respond to the salt stress by producing reactive oxygen species. Under salt stress, plants are exposed to both the hyperosmotic shock and cation shock. Recently we have shown that treatment with metal cations such as Li + , Na + , K + , Ca 2+ , Mg 2+ , La 3+ , Gd 3+ and Al 3+ induces burst of • O 2 – production in tobacco cells; whereas hyperosmotic treatments do not induce • O 2 – production. Therefore, the salt-induced damages to plant cells mediated by reactive oxygen species may be due to cation shock. This article reviews the recent achievements in our understanding of plant response to salt stress. Lastly, we discuss the use of transition metal ions in mitigation of salt-induced reactive oxygen species.