Role of Phytochelators in Land Reclamation: Recent Progress and Perspectives

Phytochelators are metal chelating exudates secreted by plant roots or microbes into the rhizosphere. These include many diverse compounds such as Low Molecular Weight Organic Acids (LMWOA’s), phytins, siderophores, phytochelatins, metallothioneins, etc. They are known to act as effective soil amendments by increasing metal diffusion rates in the soil and help in their movement into the plants, thereby fastening remediation of contaminated land sites. This review aims at discussing all the major types of phytochelators and their mode of action in supplementing the process of phytoremediation.