{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,15]],"date-time":"2026-10-15T14:21:26Z","timestamp":1792074086760,"version":"4.4.0"},"reference-count":108,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,10]],"date-time":"2026-04-10T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1775779200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Plant Sci."],"abstract":"<jats:p>\n                    Legumes of the genus\n                    <jats:italic>Medicago<\/jats:italic>\n                    are agronomically important forage crops that also enhance soil fertility through biological nitrogen fixation. Beyond their agricultural value,\n                    <jats:italic>Medicago<\/jats:italic>\n                    species show promise for the ecological restoration of degraded soils, particularly through their symbiotic associations with soil microbial communities (rhizobacteria). However, in acidic soils\u2014common in degraded environments\u2014the presence of toxic metals such as aluminum (Al) poses a major constraint to plant establishment and microbial functioning. However, the specific impacts of Al stress on each symbiotic partner\u2014and on the dynamics of their interaction\u2014remain poorly understood. This review systematizes and describes recent advances in the effects of Al on\n                    <jats:italic>Medicago<\/jats:italic>\n                    legumes, which underlie increased tolerance to metal phytotoxicity, and aims to identify synergistic functions among plant and microbial partners. Al produces morphological and functional changes in\n                    <jats:italic>Medicago<\/jats:italic>\n                    species. Key strategies for metal tolerance involve detoxification mechanisms, such as organic acids production, that effectively mitigate the stress caused by metallic ions. Diverse plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) contribute significantly to each of these strategies, either by the direct production of metal-chelating compounds or by the induction of metal sequestration and\/or transport functions in the host. These microorganisms, alone or in combination, display traits that can influence Al mobilization and removal for phytoremediation applications. Mechanisms underlying the effect of PGPR on\n                    <jats:italic>Medicago<\/jats:italic>\n                    gene expression during metal exposure have begun to be elucidated, as has the role of symbiotic interactions with arbuscular mycorrhizae. Additional studies employing transcriptomics, metabolomics, and genetic engineering are also necessary to fully understand their impact on common metal stress responses and tolerance mechanisms in the genus\n                    <jats:italic>Medicago<\/jats:italic>\n                    .\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpls.2026.1801139","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,10]],"date-time":"2026-04-10T04:26:14Z","timestamp":1775795174000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Aluminum stress responses and beneficial bacterial traits in Medicago legumes"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Thomas","family":"Ledger","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratorio de Bioingenier\u00eda, Facultad de Ingenier\u00eda y Ciencias, Universidad Adolfo Ib\u00e1\u00f1ez","place":["Santiago, Chile"]},{"name":"Center of Applied Ecology and Sustainability (CAPES)","place":["Santiago, Chile"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Alexander","family":"Renlund","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratorio de Bioingenier\u00eda, Facultad de Ingenier\u00eda y Ciencias, Universidad Adolfo Ib\u00e1\u00f1ez","place":["Santiago, Chile"]},{"name":"Center of Applied Ecology and Sustainability (CAPES)","place":["Santiago, Chile"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"\u00c1ngela","family":"Cantillo-Gonz\u00e1lez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratorio de Bioingenier\u00eda, Facultad de Ingenier\u00eda y Ciencias, Universidad Adolfo Ib\u00e1\u00f1ez","place":["Santiago, Chile"]},{"name":"Center of Applied Ecology and Sustainability (CAPES)","place":["Santiago, Chile"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mar\u00eda Josefina","family":"Poupin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratorio de Bioingenier\u00eda, Facultad de Ingenier\u00eda y Ciencias, Universidad Adolfo Ib\u00e1\u00f1ez","place":["Santiago, Chile"]},{"name":"Center of Applied Ecology and Sustainability (CAPES)","place":["Santiago, Chile"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Bernardo","family":"Gonz\u00e1lez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratorio de Bioingenier\u00eda, Facultad de Ingenier\u00eda y Ciencias, Universidad Adolfo Ib\u00e1\u00f1ez","place":["Santiago, Chile"]},{"name":"Center of Applied Ecology and Sustainability (CAPES)","place":["Santiago, Chile"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,10]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"539","DOI":"10.1016\/j.tplants.2018.02.009","article-title":"Crops, nitrogen, water: are legumes friend, foe, or misunderstood ally","volume":"23","author":"Adams","year":"2018","journal-title":"Trends Plant Sci."},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"400","DOI":"10.18805\/ag.RF-321","article-title":"Heavy metal stress and cellular antioxidant systems of plants: A review","volume":"45","author":"Ansari","year":"2024","journal-title":"Agric. 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