Phytoremediation: Strategies for Protecting the Food Chain from Contamination

Advances in industrialization and excessive use of pesticides in the agricultural sector have become significant reasons for environmental pollution. These pollutants can severely impact the food chain and its supply; therefore, it is necessary to remove such pollutants that contaminate the food chain cost-effectively and sustainably. Several techniques are employed to remediate these pollutants using physical, chemical, or biological techniques. Phytoremediation is a promising and effective solution for mitigating contaminants from the environment (soil, water, and air). This chapter explores various phytoremediation strategies aimed at protecting the food chain from contamination by harmful substances. Further, it discusses various principles, mechanisms and different phytoremediation techniques like phytoextraction, phytoaccumulation, phytostabilization, phytovolatilization, phytodegradation, rhizodegradation, and rhizofiltration. The drawbacks of phytoremediation can be nullified by conventional and genetic engineering approaches and natural microbial (metal tolerant) associations in increasing the efficiency of the phytoremediation techniques, considering it is a low-cost technique compared to other conventional techniques. Thus phytoremediation can be a sustainable and efficient technique in safeguarding the food chain from contamination.