Biotechnological use of fungl for the degradation of recalcitrant agro-pesticides

The use of mushroom in biodegradation processes has been increasing in recent years. This is because they are easily cultivated and possess an interesting metabolism endowed with a powerful enzymatic system. In this work, the degradation of pesticides used for agricultural purposes is reviewed. Three compounds are taken as models: endosulfan (insecticide), chlorothalonil (fungicide) and paraquat (herbicide). They are considered as high risk hazard for health, and its indiscriminate use in agriculture can cause long-term problems. Several genera of mushrooms have been studied for biodegradation of agropesticides, among them Pleurotus is considered one of the most promising due to its ligninolytic capabilities. Strains of this genus are able to degrade endosulfan and chlorothalonil. There are few reports about paraquat degradation, however, a study for using wild strains of tropical mushrooms is under way with promising results. All the taxa studied have the ability of degrading some of these compounds and in certain cases up to 100% degradation. Because of this they are excellent candidates for bioremediation strategies.