Advancement in mitigating the effects of heavy metal toxicity in wheat

Heavy metal accumulation in wheat has become a severe menace to food security and human health. Proper understanding of wheat response to metal stress and its management to minimize the uptake may assist in enhancing the yield, grain quality, and growth. This chapter aims to highlight current updates about various mitigation approaches used to minimize metal uptake and phytotoxicity in wheat. Several agronomic and biological approaches have been studied which do hold a promise for obtaining desirable metal reduction in wheat grains. However, the selection of an appropriate method depends on various factors such as soil properties, type of metal, level of contamination, and environmental conditions. Among the available approaches, the use of low-metal-accumulating or metal-toxicity-tolerant wheat varieties is the most efficient and ecofriendly method to ensure food safety and protect human health. Nevertheless, the applicability of this approach at the field level is undoubtedly necessary. This chapter aims to highlight the advancements in various mitigation approaches against heavy metal stress in wheat.