PHYTOREMEDIATION: LEVERAGING PLANT-MICROBE INTERACTIONS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL CLEANUP

Abstract

Plant and microbe-based bioremediation is a realizable, cost effective and green approach to remove pollutants in

soil and water. This review assesses major strategies where they focus on stimulation of soil microbial activity in

the rhizosphere, application of plants by steadying, absorption, degrading, and metabolizing hazardous

contaminants; in addition, the roles of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and endophytes within the

plant, conferring stress tolerance and nutrient acquisition. Metagenomics and CRISPR/Cas9 genome engineering

have enhanced the prospects of molecular tools for engineering plant microbe interactions improving remediation

potential. For proper functionality, there is a need to integrate two or more functions as shown by the interaction of

phytoremediation and bioenergy production. However, the effort in phytoremediation still has limitations in terms

of implementation at field level such as site heterogeneity, longer time required for remediation, and high cost.

Some of the solutions to these challenges include precision agriculture, bioengineering, plant microbe interactions,

and integrated green technologies. This review indicates that plant-microbe interactions have the ability to be a

cheaper, and eco-friendly remediation technology, and serves as a basis for phytoremediation systems’ research

work and application.