Microbes as a potential bioremediation tool for atrazine-contaminated soil: A review

Abstract

Atrazine is a controversial and widely used herbicide to control weeds in both agriculture fields and residential sites. Instead of adopting manual weed control, atrazine is being used by people who resulted in a negative impact on the environment. Therefore, removing atrazine in soil has received considerable attention. Microorganisms have terrific potential for degradation of hazardous pollutants which always motivates continuous bioremediation-directed research. The objective of this review is to identify, analyze, and compile all the studies on atrazine–degrading microorganisms. Particular emphasis is made on the atrazine degradation pathways, a diverse group of bacteria, fungi, and yeast along with the genetics and enzymology aspects of degradation. The present review may act as a source of information for developing a cheaper and microbiological method for rescuing the atrazine-contaminated soil and water in the future.