Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi-assisted phytoremediation: Concepts, challenges, and future perspectives

Amongst the methods developed to clean-up contaminated soils, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF)-assisted phytoremediation is an emerging eco-sustainable technique to control and manage soil pollution. AMF are known to improve growth and mineral uptake of plants, but also these fungi can mitigate pollutant toxicity, increasing plant tolerance to abiotic stresses, and so allowing their better installation on polluted soils. They influence the pollutant fate in the rhizosphere through several phytotechnologies: phyto/rhizodegradation, phytostabilisation and phytoextraction. To improve phytomanagement efficiency, plant inoculation with AMF could be proposed as an interesting solution. Through this chapter, we tried to present a description of the AMF diversity as well as in persistent organic pollutants and trace elements-polluted soils and summarize current knowledge of AMF contribution in phytomanagement of contaminated soils and the impact of mycorrhizal inoculation on soil refunctionalisation. In conclusion, recommandations for AMF-assisted phytotechnologies adoption in polluted soil phytomanagement will be suggested.