Chemistry and Biochemistry of Trace Metals in Biological Systems

The past three decades have seen a remarkable advance in the appreciation of the significant role played by the so-called ‘trace metals’ in the health and productivity of plants. The effort has been spread widely, from the macroecological viewpoint at one extreme, down to the molecular viewpoint and, encouragingly, some highly successful attempts have been made to deal with the intimate details of the actions of metal ions, both ‘essential’ and ‘toxic’ Whilst it is certainly true that real advances have been made over a broad front, it is also disturbingly true that the picture remains fragmented, and as with most areas of scientific research today, the sheer volume of experimental data now available makes it impossible to scrutinise more than a fraction of the existing material. The problem is aggravated by the constant necessity to make a critical re-appraisal of much published material, since it is sadly apparent that the quantity of data greatly outweighs its quality.