Tolerance and bioaccumulation of cadmium and lead by endophytic fungi

Global modernization, industrialization and urbanization have resulted in increased contamination of our environment by heavy metals. A long persistence of heavy metals in nature has lead to the development of metal resistant microbial strain. Microorganisms play a significant role in bioremediation of heavy metal contaminated soil. In this study, endophytic fungal isolates (EN1 and EN2) isolated from root of Amaranthus spinosus collected from contaminated site of Bhanpur, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh have been studied for their tolerance and capacities to uptake heavy metals like cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb). Among the two fungi, EN1 was found to have maximum tolerance for both Cd and Pb based on their growth on heavy metal supplemented potato dextrose agar medium. It also revealed that the maximum uptake of Pb and Cd was 85.7% and 82.6%, respectively at increasing concentration (0–20 ppm). Fungal isolate EN1 was identified to be Penicillum sp. based on morphological and molecular characteristics. This study indicated the potential of these endophytic fungi for bioaccumulation of higher concentration of Cd and Pb from contaminated site which make them potential candidate for bioremediation. Finally, the result indicated that Penicillium sp. could be a prospective candidate to increase the phytoremediation efficiency of plant and play an important role in the decontamination of polluted soil.