Part I: An overview of the zinc in soil and plant responses.- Chapter 1. Zinc in soils and the regulatory roles of soil properties.- Chapter 2. Physiological significance of zinc for plants, animals and humans.- Chapter 3. The mechanisms of uptake, translocation, and distribution of zinc in plants.- Chapter 4. Physiological, biochemical and molecular plant responses to zinc deficiency and excess.- Chapter 5. Molecular aspects of zinc homeostasis in plants: Zinc deficit and surplus conditions.- Part II: Strategies to regulate zinc levels in plants.- Chapter 6. Strategies for increasing zinc uptake efficiency in plants.- Chapter 7. Exploitation of microbes as a means for biofortification of zinc in crop plants.- Chapter 8. Breeding approaches and modern tools to fight zinc deficiency in plants.- Chapter 9. Agronomic approaches to zinc biofortification in soil and soilless crops.- Chapter 10. Understanding hyperaccumulation of zinc in plants.- Chapter 11. Microbes as tools for the amelioration of zinc phytotoxicity.- Chapter 12. Brassinosteroids contribute to zinc stress tolerance: Dissecting the responses in crops.