CALCIUM IN PLANT BIOLOGY: NUTRIENT AND SECOND MESSENGER

Calcium (Ca2+ ) is an essential element required for growth and development of plants both under stressed and non-stressed situations. It not only maintains the integrity of cell wall and membrane, but also serves as a second messenger in many developmental and physiological processes thereby inducing Ca2+ influx into cytosol, which decodes into downstream responses like defense against various environmental cues. Therefore, maintenance of intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis is essential for Ca2+ signalling. In this review, the current knowledge about the Ca2+ uptake, transport and signal transduction in different physiological aspects with respect to plant nutrient status will be discussed.