Investigation of Tos17 LTR retrotransposon movements in rice (Oryza sativa L.) under nickel and boron stress

Heavy metal and metalloid pollution caused by the industrialization became a leading stress factors for agricultural plants. The increase in the amount of nickel and boron in agricultural areas due to mining and increasing industrial activity is an important agricultural constraint. The difference between deficiency and toxicity levels of these heavy metal and metalloid is extremely critical. Nickel and boron are important micronutrients for plant growth, while they become toxic at critical densities. Plants exhibit different responses to these pollutants. It is essential to find specific biomarkers to discriminate the tolerant varieties to develop elite varieties. Transposable elements are known to have an efficient role against environmental stress factors. In this research, we evaluated the potential use of Tos17 retrotransposon movement as a molecular marker to identify the stress tolerances of two Oryza sativa L. varieties against nickel and boron pollutants.