Editorial: Managing metal toxicity in plants and soil: strategies for stress mitigation and remediation

Heavy metal and metalloid contamination in soils has emerged as one of the most persistent environmental challenges affecting agricultural productivity, ecosystem stability, and food security worldwide (Rana et al., 2025;Sweta & Singh 2024;Hou et al., 2020).Anthropogenic activities such as mining, industrial discharge, excessive agrochemical use, and urbanization have significantly increased the accumulation of toxic metals and metalloids in terrestrial ecosystems. These contaminants disrupt plant physiological processes, impair soil microbial communities, and pose substantial risks to human health through the food chain (Angon et al., 2024). At the same time, certain micronutrients such as iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), and boron (B), which are essential for plant growth at low concentrations, can become toxic when present in excess. Understanding the mechanisms underlying plant tolerance to metal stress and developing sustainable strategies for soil remediation therefore represent critical priorities for modern agriculture and environmental management (Mohamed et al., 2025).