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Agriculture
Special Issues
Bioremediation in Agricultural and Urban Soils
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Bioremediation in Agricultural and Urban Soils

A special issue of Agriculture (ISSN 2077-0472). This special issue belongs to the section "Agricultural Soils".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2021) | Viewed by 21402

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Laura Giagnoni

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agrifood Production and Environmental Sciences, University of Florence, Piazzale delle Cascine 28, 50144 Florence, Italy
Interests: soil; soil science; soil chemistry; soil biochemistry; soil fertility; soil contamination; bioremediation; biochar

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Several thousand sites around the world are seriously polluted due to diffusion in the environment of numerous chemicals, including petroleum hydrocarbons, polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), halogenated dibenzodioxins/furans, chlorinated solvents, pesticides, and toxic heavy metal(loid)s. The major sources of widespread environmental contamination are anthropogenic activities. The risk for human health and the environment in contaminated sites is concern; thus, interest in site remediation technologies is increasing. In the current scenario, pollution of soil is one of the global concerns for the sustainable development of human beings, since soil is a non-renewable resource. Cleaning up of contaminated soil and its protection are key priorities for redeveloping land and urban regeneration in developed or industrialized countries. The remediation of contaminated soils and sediments via the conventional method is not always feasible due to high costs and to secondary pollutant production. Therefore, bioremediation techniques have emerged as a natural, economic, sustainable approach which can restore contaminated soils with the help of biological agents such as plants, bacteria, fungi, and other organisms or their enzymes. Bioremediation technologies can be broadly categorized into two categories, i.e., in situ bioremediation and ex situ bioremediation. This Special Issue will focus on bioremediation approaches applied to contaminated soil in agriculture and urban sites to soil fertility recovery. Novel research, reviews, and opinion pieces covering all related topics, including remediation of agricultural and urban soils contaminated with different pollutants such as heavy metals, hydrocarbons, micro-nanoplastics, pesticides, herbicides, ad fungicides are welcome. Moreover, the guest editor and editorial board welcome papers on the use of plants, beneficial microorganisms or amendments in bioremediation, assessments of microbial communities in polluted agricultural or urban soil, management solutions, modeling, and case-studies from the field.

Dr. Laura Giagnoni
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Contaminated soil
  • Bioremediation
  • Agricultural soil
  • Urban soil
  • Soil fertility

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 2732 KiB  
Article
Poplar-Assisted Bioremediation for Recovering a PCB and Heavy-Metal-Contaminated Area
by Valeria Ancona, Ida Rascio, Giorgia Aimola, Claudia Campanale, Paola Grenni, Martina Di Lenola, Gian Luigi Garbini, Vito Felice Uricchio and Anna Barra Caracciolo
Agriculture 2021, 11(8), 689; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture11080689 - 22 Jul 2021
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3091
Abstract
A Monviso clone has been applied to promote PCB degradation in a soil historically contaminated by polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and heavy metals (HMs). The multi-contaminated area is located in Southern Italy. PCBs, HMs, and the soil microbial community (abundance, viability, and structure) were [...] Read more.
A Monviso clone has been applied to promote PCB degradation in a soil historically contaminated by polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and heavy metals (HMs). The multi-contaminated area is located in Southern Italy. PCBs, HMs, and the soil microbial community (abundance, viability, and structure) were analysed in selected plots of the poplar-treated area. At 900 days after poplar planting, chemical analyses showed that PCBs and most of HMs diminished under the Italian legal limits. The overall results suggest that the poplar clone was effective in promoting PCB rhizodegradation and HM phytostabilization. Organic carbon content increased strongly in the rhizosphere of the planted plots. Microbiological results highlighted an overall increase in microbial abundance, cell viability, and the presence of bacterial groups involved in PCB degradation. The poplar-based bioremediation technology is a nature-based solution able to promote the recovery of soil quality in terms of contaminant removal, increase in organic carbon, and stimulation of autochthonous bacterial groups able to transform PCBs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioremediation in Agricultural and Urban Soils)
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11 pages, 892 KiB  
Article
The Possibilities of Using Common Buckwheat in Phytoremediation of Mineral and Organic Soils Contaminated with Cd or Pb
by Jolanta Domańska, Danuta Leszczyńska and Aleksandra Badora
Agriculture 2021, 11(6), 562; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture11060562 - 19 Jun 2021
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3284
Abstract
The results of this study provided accurate guidance on the possibility of using common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) in phytoremediation practices for mineral soil or organic soils contaminated with Cd or Pb. Based on a model pot experiment, the tolerance of buckwheat [...] Read more.
The results of this study provided accurate guidance on the possibility of using common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) in phytoremediation practices for mineral soil or organic soils contaminated with Cd or Pb. Based on a model pot experiment, the tolerance of buckwheat to elevated contents of cadmium and lead in organic and mineral soils was examined. The soils were differentiated into neutral and acidic, and amended with metals at doses of 10 mg Cd kg−1 DM and 100 mg Pb kg−1 DM of soil. The growth, development, biomass, translocation coefficient, and tolerance index (TI) of the tested plants were examined. The use of metals caused a weakening of plant growth and development, as well as intensified chlorotic and necrotic changes to the buckwheat leaves. The application of Cd caused a statistically significant decrease in shoot biomass. The plants growing in organic acidic soil were most vulnerable to Cd toxicity. The (TI) values confirm the generally low tolerance of buckwheat to Cd, except for the treatment in organic neutral soil, and the high tolerance of this plant to Pb in all the studied soils. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioremediation in Agricultural and Urban Soils)
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12 pages, 5463 KiB  
Article
Biological Restoration of Urban Soils after De-Sealing Interventions
by Anita Maienza, Fabrizio Ungaro, Silvia Baronti, Ilaria Colzi, Laura Giagnoni, Cristina Gonnelli, Giancarlo Renella, Francesca Ugolini and Costanza Calzolari
Agriculture 2021, 11(3), 190; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture11030190 - 25 Feb 2021
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3987
Abstract
Most urban greening interventions involve soil de-sealing and management to enhance fertility. Management typically requires translocating fertile topsoil to the site, which comes at great environmental costs. We hypothesized that de-sealed urban soils would undergo an increase of their fertility without exogenous topsoil [...] Read more.
Most urban greening interventions involve soil de-sealing and management to enhance fertility. Management typically requires translocating fertile topsoil to the site, which comes at great environmental costs. We hypothesized that de-sealed urban soils would undergo an increase of their fertility without exogenous topsoil application. We assessed experimental plots with de-sealed soil with topsoil, and de-sealed soil without topsoil. Both treatments were vegetated with two ornamental shrub species and irrigated. Soil fertility was analyzed by chemical (total and organic carbon) and biological indicators of soils (biological quality index and microbial activities). Since metal contamination is related to urban de-sealed soil, we also monitored the concentration of Zn, Cu and Pb in soil and detected it in plant leaves. The results demonstrate that de-sealed urban soils rapidly restore their biological quality and fertility. Restoration of de-sealing soils can contribute to the recent growing interest reclamation of urban soils for improving the urban environment quality through the restoration of soil functions and related ecosystem services. Overall, the results of this study demonstrate that de-sealed soils can improve their functionality and can contribute to the recent growing interest in reclamation of urban soils for improving the urban environment quality. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioremediation in Agricultural and Urban Soils)
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11 pages, 2265 KiB  
Article
Development of Selenium Nanoparticle Based Agriculture Sensor for Heavy Metal Toxicity Detection
by Faheem Ahmed, Sourabh Dwivedi, Nagih M. Shaalan, Shalendra Kumar, Nishat Arshi, Adil Alshoaibi and Fohad Mabood Husain
Agriculture 2020, 10(12), 610; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture10120610 - 8 Dec 2020
Cited by 24 | Viewed by 4175
Abstract
The presence of heavy metals in increased concentrations in the environment has become a global environmental concern. This rapid increase in heavy metals in the environment is attributed to enhanced industrial and mining activities. Metal ions possess a lengthy half-life and property to [...] Read more.
The presence of heavy metals in increased concentrations in the environment has become a global environmental concern. This rapid increase in heavy metals in the environment is attributed to enhanced industrial and mining activities. Metal ions possess a lengthy half-life and property to bioaccumulate, are non-biodegradable and, thus, are a threat to the human health. A number of conventional spectroscopic and chromatographic techniques are being used for the detection of heavy metals, but these suffer from various limitations. Nano-based sensors have emerged as potential candidates for the sensitive and selective detection of heavy metals. Thus, the present study was focused on the synthesis of selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) by using selenite-reducing bacteria in the development of a heavy metal toxicity biosensor. During the biosynthesis of selenium nanoparticles, supernatants of the overnight-grown culture were treated with Na2SeO32− and incubated for 24 h at 37 °C. The as-synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by UV–Vis spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analyses. XRD and TEM results confirmed the formation of SeNPs in sizes ranging from 35 to 40 nm, with face-centered cubic (FCC) structures. The bioreduction process and validation of the formation of SeNPs was further confirmed by FTIR studies. The reduction in the biosynthesis of SeNPs using bacterial metabolite due to heavy metal cytotoxicity was analyzed by the colorimetric bioassay (SE Assay). The inhibition of selenite reduction and loss of red color in the presence of heavy metals may serve as a biosensor for heavy metal toxicity analysis. Thus, this biosensor development is aimed at improving the sensitivity and specificity of analytic detection. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioremediation in Agricultural and Urban Soils)
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11 pages, 772 KiB  
Article
Evolution of Physico-Chemical Properties, Microbial Biomass and Microbial Activity of an Urban Soil after De-Sealing
by Giancarlo Renella
Agriculture 2020, 10(12), 596; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture10120596 - 2 Dec 2020
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2829
Abstract
Recovery of soil fertility after de-sealing of urban soils is still poorly known. This work studied the time-related dynamics of soil physico-chemical and biochemical endpoints of urban soil in the city in Naples (Southern Italy), de-sealed for different time during construction works, that [...] Read more.
Recovery of soil fertility after de-sealing of urban soils is still poorly known. This work studied the time-related dynamics of soil physico-chemical and biochemical endpoints of urban soil in the city in Naples (Southern Italy), de-sealed for different time during construction works, that underwent colonization by volunteer plants. The results showed de-sealing decreased the soil bulk density and the soil pH value, increased the electrical conductivity (EC), total organic C (TOC) and extractable carbohydrates (TEC), total and inorganic N contents, soil basal respiration (SBR), soil microbial biomass C (MBC) and soil microbial biomass N (MBN), the substrate induced respiration (SIR) value, and enzyme activities involved in C, N, P and S mineralization. The TEC, total and inorganic N, SBR and microbial biochemical endpoints were higher in the de-sealed soils than those of an arable soil of the same area. The results show that de-sealed urban soils rapidly increase their physical, chemical and biological fertility even with no intervention, especially when they are colonized by volunteer plants. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioremediation in Agricultural and Urban Soils)
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10 pages, 1095 KiB  
Article
Herbicide Uptake and Regrowth Ability of Tall Fescue and Orchardgrass in S-Metolachlor-Contaminated Leachates from Sand Pot Experiment
by Euro Pannacci, Daniele Del Buono, Maria Luce Bartucca, Luigi Nasini, Primo Proietti and Francesco Tei
Agriculture 2020, 10(10), 487; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture10100487 - 21 Oct 2020
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2855
Abstract
The ability of tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea L.) and orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.), to remediate leachates polluted with S-metolachlor (SMR) has been assessed in static hydroponic cultures. Different SMR concentrations (0.25, 1.00, and 2.00 mg L−1) were applied in [...] Read more.
The ability of tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea L.) and orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.), to remediate leachates polluted with S-metolachlor (SMR) has been assessed in static hydroponic cultures. Different SMR concentrations (0.25, 1.00, and 2.00 mg L−1) were applied in the growth media to test the capacity of the two grasses to tolerate and uptake this herbicide, and to regrowth after mowing. S-metolachlor did not severely affect the dry weight aerial biomass of D. glomerata and F. arundinacea, which were reduced by 5% and 10%, respectively, when compared to the untreated control, regardless of the SMR concentrations in the leachate. The regrowth ability of aerial biomass after mowing was reduced at the different SMR concentrations, according to a dose–response model. The SMR concentrations, which reduced the regrowth ability of F. arundinacea and D. glomerata of 10% and 30%, were found to be EC10 (Effective Concentration) of 0.21 and 0.38 mg L−1 and EC30 of 0.45 and 0.74 mg L−1, respectively. These values could be assumed as the SMR concentrations that were well tolerated by both the species, without compromising their aerial biomass regrowth. Finally, tall fescue was found to be more effective and faster than orchardgrass in decreasing the SMR in the leachate and, therefore, this species should be preferred to be used in the vegetative buffer strips (VBS). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioremediation in Agricultural and Urban Soils)
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