Effects of Emerging Organic Contaminants to Plants

Dear Colleagues,

A diverse array of synthetic organic compounds are synthesized in vast quantities and used for the production of innumerous products on which modern society depends. Such chemicals include, but are not restricted to, endocrine disruptors, oestrogens, antibiotics and pharmaceuticals, food additives, personal care products, synthetic musks, chlorinated dioxins, flame retardants, brominated and fluorinated compounds, nonylphenols, agrochemicals (pesticides, herbicides, insecticides), phthalates, chlorinated naphthalenes, illicit drugs, etc. Small or large quantities of them may be discharged or escape from industrial, domestic, and urban sources to water, soil, and air, posing serious concerns for potential human health hazards, wildlife and the environment if locally accumulated at excessive quantities. A broad spectrum of synthesized organic chemicals may diffuse into the environment without being commonly monitored but can induce known or suspected undesirable effects on humans and ecosystems. These chemicals are defined as "emerging organic contaminants" (EOCs). However, this term is used to cover not only newly developed compounds but also compounds newly discovered in the environment and those that have only recently been categorized as contaminants. Although a considerable volume of work has been completed, and is yet performed on their occurrence in the environment and their potential toxicity to humans and animals, in plants much less research has been conducted. As they grow anchored in the soil, plants come in direct contact with environmental contaminants that may impact their growth and performance. Some plants can evolve resistance mechanisms or accumulate pollutants in intracellular compartments, displaying a potential utility for phytoremediation technologies. This Special Issue on the "Effects of Emerging Organic Contaminants to Plants" offers an Open Access forum for bringing together investigators with different approaches in studying their effects on plant growth, structure and function. We encourage novices and experienced scientists to contribute original research papers and reviews dedicated to the effects of EOCs on plants. Contributions at the organism, cellular, molecular, and any "omic" level are highly welcome.

Prof. Dr. Eleftherios P. Eleftheriou
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

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