Streptomyces genus as biotechnological tool for pesticide degradation in polluted systems

Abstract

General awareness exists regarding the detrimental effects of pesticides use and management on the environment; therefore, their removal from contaminated matrices has become a major concern in the field of environmental engineering and science. Nowadays, biological methods have attracted considerable attention and many microorganisms have been isolated, characterized and recognized as responsible for pesticide degradation. This review shows the current evidence and results obtained in the last decades that support the use of microorganisms belonging to the Streptomyces genus as a promising biotechnological tool for bioremediation of pesticides contaminated matrices. This review covers the degradation of pesticides in both liquid and soil systems, soil slurries and biobed biomixtures, by single, consortia, free and/or immobilized Streptomyces strains.

Keywords:

• Biodegradation
• bioremediation
• immobilization
• pesticides
• mixed cultures
• streptomyces

Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support of FONDECYT project No 11130716, International Cooperation Program CONICYT-MINCYT No 140056 and Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica (ANPCyT) (PICT 2013-0141, PICT 2014-2893).