Isolation and Identification of Trichoderma Isolates from Soils Contaminated with Cd, Pb and Zn and Evaluation of Their Characteristics and Pollutants Bioaccumulation

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Urmi Uni

2 Dept of Soil Sci. Urmia Uni

3 Dept of Soil Science, Urmia Uni

4 Department of Plant protection Science, Faculty of Agriculture ,Karbala University, Karbala

5 Department of Soil Science, ,Faculty of Agriculture Urmia University

10.30466/asr.2026.55939.1876

Abstract

The contamination of agricultural soils with heavy metals, caused by excessive use of chemical fertilizers and polluted water sources, poses a significant challenge to environmental sustainability and agricultural productivity. Heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, and zinc not only reduce the quality of agricultural products but also present a serious threat to ecosystems and biodiversity. In this context, the fungus Trichoderma has been identified as an effective microorganism for absorbing heavy metals and mitigating their toxicity. This study aims to isolate and molecularly characterize Trichoderma isolates and evaluate their effectiveness in the bioremediation of heavy metals in contaminated soils, using advanced molecular techniques such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to analyze the genetic structure and biological performance of these isolates. The results showed that 45%, 38%, 12%, and 8% of the isolates belonged to the species T. harzianum, T. longibrachiatum, T. virens, and T. brevicompactum, respectively. For fungal species, Zn and Cd showed the highest and lowest toxicity, respectively. The Maximum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was observed at a concentration of 500 mg L-1 for the species T. longibrachiatum. This research confirms the significant impact of T. longibrachiatum in absorbing and reducing cadmium, lead, and zinc concentrations in media. The highest percentage accumulation was observed at contamination levels of 50 mg L-1, with the greatest biosorption at a concentration of 500 mg l-1, where cadmium showed the highest percentage of biological absorption. Therefore, Trichoderma spp. fungal isolates could play a crucial role in improving the bioremediation of heavy metal pollutants.

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Main Subjects

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History

  • Receive Date: 02 February 2025
  • Revise Date: 08 June 2025
  • Accept Date: 14 June 2025

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