Fungal endophyte-enhanced phytoremediation of persistent organic pollutants: mechanisms, advances, and future prospects.
Sarma RK, Purkayastha A, Sarma B, Handique L, Nath BC
Summary
PubMedCertain fungi that live inside plants can significantly boost those plants' ability to clean up toxic pollutants in contaminated soil. This review examines how these fungal partnerships work and where the science is headed.
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Key Findings
Fungal endophytes enhance plant uptake and breakdown of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as PAHs, PCBs, and pesticides through enzymatic degradation and improved plant stress tolerance.
The partnership works via multiple mechanisms including secretion of ligninolytic and oxidative enzymes, improved root colonization, and activation of plant detoxification pathways.
Endophyte-assisted phytoremediation outperforms plant-only approaches in remediation efficiency, though field-scale validation and understanding of microbial community dynamics remain key research gaps.
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