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Perspective on Phytoremediation for Improving Heavy Metal-Contaminated Soils

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Plant Adaptation and Phytoremediation

Abstract

Heavy metal pollution of soil is a significant environmental problem and has its negative potential impact on human health and agriculture. Phytoremediation strategies with appropriate heavy metal-adapted rhizobacteria (for example, mycorrhizae) have received more and more attention. Some plants possess a range of potential mechanisms that may be involved in the detoxification of heavy metals, and they manage to survive under metal stresses. High tolerance to heavy metal toxicity could rely either on reduced uptake or increased plant internal sequestration, which is manifested by an interaction between a genotype and its environment. A coordinated network of molecular processes provides plants with multiple metal-detoxifying mechanisms and repair capabilities, which allow plants to survive under metal-containing soil environments. The growing application of molecular genetic technologies has led to an increased understanding of mechanisms of heavy metal tolerance/accumulation in plants and, subsequently, many transgenic plants with increased heavy metal resistance, as well as increased uptake of heavy metals, have been developed for the purpose of phytoremediation. This article reviews advantages, disadvantages, possible mechanisms, current status and future directions of phytoremediation for heavy metal contaminated soils and environments.

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Acknowledgments

This work was jointly supported by One Hundred-Talent Plan of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), CAS-local Government Cooperative Project, the CAS/SAFEA International Partnership Program for Creative Research Teams, and the Important Direction Project of CAS (KZCX2-YW-JC203) and CAS YOUNG SCIENTISTS FELLOWSHIP (2009Y2B211).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Life Sciences, Qingdao University of Science & Technology (QUST), Qingdao, 266042, China

    Hong-Bo Shao & Li-Ye Chu

  2. Yantai Institute of Costal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Yantai, 264003, China

    Hong-Bo Shao

  3. College of Life Sciences, Jilin Normal University, Siping, 136000, China

    Fu-Tai Ni

  4. College of Environment and Resources, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, 030006, China

    Dong-Gang Guo & Hua Li

  5. Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu, 030801, China

    Wei-Xiang Li

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  1. Hong-Bo Shao
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  2. Li-Ye Chu
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  3. Fu-Tai Ni
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  4. Dong-Gang Guo
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  5. Hua Li
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  6. Wei-Xiang Li
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Correspondence to Hong-Bo Shao , Li-Ye Chu , Fu-Tai Ni , Dong-Gang Guo , Hua Li or Wei-Xiang Li .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Facutlty of Sciences, Department of Botany, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan

    M. Ashraf

  2. Centre for Environmental Studies, Ecology & Environmental Sciences, Ege University, Fen Fakultesi A Blok 2. Kat, Bornova, Izmir, 35100, Turkey

    M. Ozturk

  3. Dept. Botany, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Faisalabad, 30840, Pakistan

    M. S. A. Ahmad

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Shao, HB., Chu, LY., Ni, FT., Guo, DG., Li, H., Li, WX. (2010). Perspective on Phytoremediation for Improving Heavy Metal-Contaminated Soils. In: Ashraf, M., Ozturk, M., Ahmad, M. (eds) Plant Adaptation and Phytoremediation. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9370-7_11

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