Novel Aspects of Boron Biology in Plants. Boron and Plant Interaction

Dear Colleagues,

Boron is an essential element for vascular plants. The requirement for boron in many phases of plant development is well recognized, but the mechanisms underlying this essentiality have proven difficult to establish. There is clear evidence for a role of boron in the cross-linking of the rhamnogalacturonan II complex between pectic polysaccharides in plant cell walls, but compelling evidence for the participation of boron in other cellular activities is currently challenging. The involvement of boron in signaling has also been proposed to explain some of the multitude of changes in cellular activities induced by boron deficiency and toxicity.

Plants differ greatly in their ability to utilize boron and to tolerate excess boron. Physiological and molecular studies have demonstrated that much of this variability can be explained by differences in the uptake and distribution of boron in plants, which is primarily controlled by a suite of membrane transporters. Considerable progress has been made in identifying the location of these transporters and the conditions that control their expression.

Both boron deficiency and toxicity are major management issues in agriculture and there is clearly a need for greater research to understand how boron supply can best be manipulated to optimize crop production. Central to this aim is the need to better understand the metabolic and structural functions of boron, the importance of membrane transport, and whether boron also has a major signaling role.

We invite investigators to contribute original research and review articles in the field of boron in plants. Papers focused on boron in agriculture as well as describing new technical approaches regarding boron are also welcome.

Prof. Dr. Agustín González-Fontes
Prof. Dr. Toru Fujiwara
Guest Editors

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