Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal-assisted phytoremediation of soil contaminated with persistent organic pollutants: a review

Concern about soil contamination by persistent organic pollutants (POPs) that originate from intensive anthropogenic activities has now become a priority in industrialized countries. Some of these compounds can accumulate in the environment and threaten the development of living organisms because of their acute toxicity, mutagenicity and carcinogeneity. Among remediation methods for polluted soil, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF)-assisted phytoremediation is an attractive approach to plant-based environmental remediation. Arbuscular mycorrhizal associations are important in the restoration of degraded ecosystems because of the benefits to their symbiotic partners. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi are not only able to facilitate plant establishment and survival in POP-contaminated soil by protecting plants against the phytotoxicity of POPs, but also enhance soil bioremediation by stimulating telluric microbial activity and by improving soil structure. This phytotechnology, however, is still in its infancy and there has been little research on aged-contaminated soils. Its in situ effectiveness remains to be proved. This review summarizes current knowledge about the effect of POPs on the establishment and functioning of arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis and its contribution to the phytoremediation of POP-polluted soil. It focuses on recent developments that aim to improve the efficiency of AMF-assisted phytoremediation in the dissipation of POPs and future directions.