Environmental Decontamination: Soil-Microbe-Plant Interaction

Globally, the environment is changing due to industrialization, natural disasters, and anthropogenic catastrophes; maintaining the ecosystem in its natural state is challenging. As a result, several pollutants and toxic chemical compounds, such as heavy metal pollutants, hydrocarbon compounds, and fragments of chemical pesticides and fertilizers, are found in soil. In the long run, this adversely impacts aquatic ecosystems, terrestrial soil, plants, and humans. These contaminants in the soil decrease plant growth, reduce crop yield, wilt leaves, and buildup in plant shoots. Additionally, they alter the interplay between the plants and microbes in their natural habitat and decrease their viability. This undermines the harmonious partnership of diverse plants and soil microorganisms. However, soil microorganisms, in partnership with plants, live in synchronization where the former transfers micronutrients to plants, and in return, plants provide vitamins, hormones, and other cations. Decontaminating the soil is essential to minimize its adverse effects on the environment. However, soil microorganisms help detoxify heavy metals and other pollutants into less toxic forms. They can also adsorb various pollutants by binding them to the cell surface. On the other hand, plants collect the contaminants in the soil and store them in the shoots, which are harvested and safely disposed of. Bacteria that promote plant growth, also called plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB), commonly found in the rhizosphere, can also aid in phytoremediation by eliminating contaminants. This chapter explores the relationship between soil microbes and plants in bioremediation of the environment and new concepts like metallophytes and hyperaccumulators.