Advances in fungal-assisted phytoremediation of heavy metals: A review

• Published in: Pedosphere Vol. 31; no. 3; pp. 475 - 495
• Main Authors: KHALID, Muhammad, UR-RAHMAN, Saeed, HASSANI, Danial, HAYAT, Kashif, ZHOU, Pei, HUI, Nan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Beijing Elsevier Ltd 01.06.2021; Elsevier Science Ltd; Key Laboratory of Urban Agriculture, School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240 China%Joint International Research Laboratory of Metabolic & Developmental Sciences, Key Laboratory of Urban Agriculture(South) of Ministry of Agriculture,Plant Biotechnology Research Center, Fudan-SJTU-Nottingham Plant Biotechnology R&D Center, School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240 China
• Subjects: Agricultural production; arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi; Arbuscular mycorrhizas; Bioavailability; Biological activity; bioremediation; Contaminants; Copper; Crop production; Detoxification; Endophytes; endophytic fungi; Environmental cleanup; Environmental stress; Fungi; Growth rate; Heavy metals; Homeostasis; Host plants; Hyphae; Iron; Life cycles; Literature reviews; Manganese; Metabolites; metal tolerance; Metals; microbe; Microorganisms; Nutrient uptake; Phytoremediation; Plant growth; Plant roots; Plant species; Plant tissues; plant transporter; Rhizosphere; Sediment pollution; soil contaminant; Soil contamination; Soil microorganisms; Soil pollution; Soil remediation; Trace metals; Zinc; plant transporter; bioremediation; environmental stress; arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi; endophytic fungi; microbe; metal tolerance; soil contaminant
• ISSN: 1002-0160; 2210-5107
• DOI: 10.1016/S1002-0160(20)60091-1

Trace metals such as manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), and iron (Fe) are essential for many biological processes in plant life cycles. However, in excess, they can be toxic and disrupt plant growth processes, which is economically undesirable for crop production. For this reason, processes such as homeostasis and transport control of these trace metals are of constant interest to scientists studying heavily contaminated habitats. Phytoremediation is a promising cleanup technology for soils polluted with heavy metals. However, this technique has some disadvantages, such as the slow growth rate of metal-accumulating plant species, low bioavailability of heavy metals, and long duration of remediation. Microbial-assisted phytoremediation is a promising strategy for hyperaccumulating, detoxifying, or remediating soil contaminants. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are found in association with almost all plants, contributing to their healthy performance and providing resistance against environmental stresses. They colonize plant roots and extend their hyphae to the rhizosphere region, assisting in mineral nutrient uptake and regulation of heavy metal acquisition. Endophytic fungi exist in every healthy plant tissue and provide enormous services to their host plants, including growth enhancement by nutrient acquisition, detoxification of heavy metals, secondary metabolite regulation, and enhancement of abiotic/biotic stress tolerance. The aim of the present work is to review the recent literature regarding the role of AMF and endophytic fungi in plant heavy metal tolerance in terms of its regulation in highly contaminated conditions.