ABSTRACT
Bioremediation technique is very effective in remediating various environmental contaminants and supports the aim of sustainable agriculture. The term bioremediation refers to the use of living organisms (plants and microorganisms) to degrade pollutants. Rhizoremediation is the enhanced biodegradation of pollutants by root-associated bacteria and fungi under the influence of selected plant species. Plants may contribute to remediation in several ways, by reducing the leaching of contaminants, aerating soil, phytodegradation/transformation, phytovolatilization, evapotranspiration, and rhizoremediation. In general, bioremediation is the use of different biological agents/systems to destroy or minimize the concentrations of contaminants from polluted sites by managing microbes and plants. It is performed either at the site of contamination (in situ) or away from the contamination site (ex situ). Phytoremediation refers to the use of plants to remove pollutants from soil and groundwater, or to assist in the degradation of contaminants into a less toxic form. Plants remove contaminants from the environment by phytoextraction, phytostabilization, phytostimulation, phytotransformation, and rhizofiltration mechanisms. Mycorrhizae fungi, which grow within the rhizosphere, can degrade a variety of organic contaminants which cannot be transformed solely by bacteria, since fungal mycelium has an ability to secrete a number of degradation enzymes into the soil.
