Improving Soil Health with Plant-Microbial Interactions: Prospects and Developments

Abstract

Environmentally friendly soil remediation techniques are now more crucial than ever. Utilizing natural mechanisms to degrade organic pollutants or gather and stabilize metal pollutants is one promising strategy. This book chapter examines the area of soil remediation as a green technology, with a focus on the function of advantageous bacteria and fungi as microorganisms that promote plant growth. These microorganisms have the potential to both directly and indirectly alleviate metal phytotoxicity while boosting plant growth. The chapter addresses the mechanisms, difficulties, and future perspectives for remediating metal(loid)-polluted agricultural soils and looks into biotechnological remediation methods, such as phytoremediation and microbial remediation. Additionally emphasized are recent advancements and future directions for microbial and phytoremediation of toxic contaminants, focusing on the significance of plant and cooperative microbial interactions in metalliferous environment adaptation and enhancing overall soil remediation. In general, this chapter offers insightful information about the possibility of environmentally friendly soil remediation techniques for reducing the effects of harmful pollutants on agricultural soils. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2025.