Chapter 18 - Efficacy of microbial endophytes in bioremediation: current research and future outlook

Abstract

A toxic trace element in soil poses a potential risk to living organisms in soil that are primarily involved in nutrient cycling. Accumulation of toxic trace elements by various natural processes and anthropogenic activities is caused severe damage to the soil’s biotic component. It is a challenging task to restore soil health in the recent era of emerging soil pollution. The excessive use of agrochemicals caused poor soil health, inferior water quality for irrigation purposes, deteriorated the crop’s nutritional quality, and enhanced health-related problems. Remediation of toxic trace elements in polluted soil can be done by employing biological agents, including several species of bacteria and fungi. Sustainable soil health management by the potential use of soil microflora and plant-associated microbes is an eco-friendly option to combat the problem of soil pollution. Soil microorganisms play a crucial role in biogeochemical processes that help in nutrient availability to the plants for their growth. These endophytes have varying degrees of potential to remediate toxic trace elements based on their environmental condition and host plants. Endophytes within the tissues help to promote plant growth by symbiotic association and protect the plants from many abiotic and abiotic stresses. So, removing toxic metal-contaminated soil through the bioremediation approach is vital to sustaining soil health and crop production. The current chapter focused on the efficacy of endophytes for their heavy metal tolerance capacity and their mechanism for remediation of the trace elements in polluted soil.