PHYTOREMEDIATION AND PLANT-MICROBE INTERACTIONS IN HEAVY METAL DETOXIFICATION

Abstract

 The environment continues to be in big trouble with heavy metal pollution particularly in formerly industrial areas.  This paper explores a hybrid phytoremediation system that could apply the use of phytoremediation hyperaccumulator plants and beneficial soil bacteria to enhance the process of detoxifying cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), arsenic (As) and zinc (Zn).  The three types of plants namely Brassica juncea, Pteris vittata and populus deltoides were grown under controlled environments with and without microbial inoculants in the forms of phosphate solubilizing bacteria and mycorrhizal fungi.  Their findings indicated that microbe treatments proved to be beneficial to a large extent in terms of metal uptake, biomass and chlorophyll conservation.  The incidences of metal accumulation were more in shoot tissues and the qPCR tests indicated that there was an increased activity of metal transporter genes such as PCS1 and MT2.  The statistical models revealed that the connection between microbial colonization and improved detoxifying parameters was adequate.  This plant-microbe conjugation approach is a promising, long-term method of cleaning polluted soils containing heavy metals and it may also have significance in land rehabilitation and environmental biotechnology.