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Arsenic-Contaminated Soil Toxicity and Its Mitigation Through Monocot Crops

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Abstract

Arsenic (As) contamination in the soil has become a leading problem today, with widespread effects on native plants both directly and indirectly. In recent years, the most extensive contamination has been found at the topsoil level and in the sediments, from groundwater and from a range of natural sources. For all living beings, arsenic is a serious and immediate concern because of its poisoning effects through vegetables, fruits, and crops. Poisoning caused by arsenic in the groundwater is frequently found in our Earth, but the consequences of soil contamination are still quite unknown to many people, especially those in countries affected by contamination. In addition to As, other heavy metals are also threats to various forms of life. Much technology for the remediation of As, mainly physical, chemical, and some biological processes, has been developed to control its consequences over time. For contaminated soils, physical as well as chemical methods for remediation become costly; however, in aqueous systems, these methods may be implemented up to a certain level. Biological organisms, mainly plants, have the capability to accumulate unsafe chemicals and thus detoxify soils and water. Cultivated higher plants (dicot/monocot) in particular have exceptional capability for the bioaccumulation of the element As.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany, Malda College, Malda, WB, India

    Phalguni Bhattacharyya & Md Masidur Alam

Authors
  1. Phalguni Bhattacharyya
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  2. Md Masidur Alam
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India

    M. Naeem

  2. Department of Biology, University of Tabuk, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia

    Abid Ali Ansari

  3. Centre for Biotechnology Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, Haryana, India

    Sarvajeet Singh Gill

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Bhattacharyya, P., Alam, M.M. (2020). Arsenic-Contaminated Soil Toxicity and Its Mitigation Through Monocot Crops. In: Naeem, M., Ansari, A., Gill, S. (eds) Contaminants in Agriculture. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-41552-5_16

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