Microbe-Assisted Remediation of Pesticide Residues from Soil and Water

Abstract

Pesticides are chemicals or compounds that are used to control, get rid of, or deter pests. They are used to safeguard crops and improve their yield and quality. The overuse of these chemicals and their persistence in the environment have led to major issues, such as soil and water contamination, which has a negative impact on the ecosystem and the food chain. Since bioremediation is an environmentally acceptable, economically viable, and somewhat successful approach compared to the currently utilized traditional (physical and chemical) treatments, it may be used to leverage the microbial metabolism of local microorganisms for degradation. There are several biodegradation methods that rely on bacterial, fungal, or enzymatic breakdown. The kind of pollutant, as well as the chemical and physical characteristics of the soil and water, affect how well these mechanisms remove the pollutant. The classification, significance, environmental fate, effects, and biodegradation of pesticides in soil and water, as well as the mechanisms of microbial pesticide degradation, factors affecting microbial pesticide degradation, potential of microorganisms in pesticide residue remediation, and application of microbial remediation, are discussed in this chapter.