Bacillus-Mediated Degradation of Recalcitrant Agricultural Pesticides: A Cutting-Edge Approach Towards the Clean-Up of Environmental Contaminants

In agriculture, a variety of pesticides are used to protect the crops from insect pests. Only a small portion of the pesticides applied are really used to kill the intended pests; rest either remains linked to crops or could pollute the environment. Microbial remediation is identified as an emerging technique to remove these harmful substances from the environment. Microbe-mediated degradation of pesticides is a frequent, effective, and affordable approach compared to the conventional physical and chemical degradation methods. Several soil bacterial genera are involved in degradation of hazardous chemicals. Bacillus species have the greatest ability among all bacterial genera to efficiently degrade/break down or alter a wide range of recalcitrant pesticides. Bacillus species covert these chemical substances into simpler and nontoxic form by utilising them as source of nutrient and energy. Numerous Bacilli have been identified, and they are distinguished by their ability to degrade a variety of chemical pesticides. The process of microbial degradation is affected by many environmental factors including pesticide types, inoculum density, temperature, pH, humidity, and acidity. Plasmid-located genes typically encode several enzymes that break down a wide variety of pesticides. This chapter describes the biodegradation potential of Bacilli towards different recalcitrant pesticides including herbicides and insecticides. Additionally, a brief description of the cutting-edge technologies employed for the bioremediation of pesticides employing Bacilli is provided. The current chapter will increase our understanding of Bacilli-mediated degradation of agricultural pesticides.