The alleviation of ammonium toxicity in plants

Nitrogen(N)is an essential macronutrient for plants and profoundly affects crop yields and qualities.Ammonium(NH4+)and nitrate(NO3-)are major inorganic N forms absorbed by plants from the surrounding environments.Intriguingly,NH4+is usually toxic to plants when it serves as the sole or dominant N source.It is thus important for plants to coordinate the utilization of NH4+and the alleviation of NH4+toxicity.To fully decipher the molecular mechanisms underlying how plants minimize NH4+toxicity may broadly benefit agricultural practice.In the current minireview,we attempt to discuss recent discoveries in the strategies for mitigating NH4+toxicity in plants,which may provide potential solutions for improving the nitrogen use efficiency(NUE)and stress adaptions in crops.