Plant–Microbe Associations in Remediation of Contaminants for Environmental Sustainability

Abstract

Pollutants are the substances that lead to undesired effects on the environment and pose a threat to all forms of life. The accumulation of these pollutants in the environment causes several diseases which affect both human and animal health. Several methods are implemented to degrade contaminants among which better results are obtained for the bioremediation technique. Plants and microbes are trappers of contaminants and they remove pollutants from the environment in an effective way. When both microorganisms and plants are combined, they showed an increase in their reduction activity compared to other remediation methods. Plant-associated microbes such as endophytes and rhizospheric microorganisms are utilised in the remediation of toxic compounds and are also used to enhance the treatment process. Thus, plant-associated microbes are considered as a promising approach in the remediation of contaminants. A broad knowledge about plant–microbe interactions and the challenges faced during remediation process is more important for the development of new technologies to remove various contaminants. This chapter highlights the need for plant microbes and how they play a vital role in the remediation of contaminants. More approaches should be implemented using plant microbes for the betterment of polluted environments.