Introduction: Pesticides are extensively used in agriculture, but their persistence in soil poses environmental and health risks. Mycodegradation, a process where fungi enzymatically break down pesticides into less harmful compounds, offers a promising solution. Despite interest in bioremediation, fungal contributions to pesticide degradation remain underexplored compared to bacterial or chemical methods. This systematic review examined the role of mycodegradation in reducing pesticide contamination and its potential for sustainable environmental management.
Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted in the Web of Science, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus databases, focusing on English-language studies from January 2013 to December 2024. Studies were included if they explicitly reported fungal-mediated degradation of pesticides in agricultural soils.
Results: The initial search identified 901 articles. After removing duplicates and screening for relevance, 601 articles (239, 127, 137, and 98 from Web of Science, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus, respectively) were selected for full-text evaluation. Finally, 40 studies met the inclusion criteria. These studies reported insecticide destruction efficiencies ranging from 26% to 100%, herbicide destruction efficiencies from 24% to 96.1%, and fungicide destruction efficiencies from 11% to 30%. The measured pesticide concentrations ranged from 10 to 2000 mg/L.
Conclusion: Fungi show strong potential for pesticide degradation, with Aspergillus species showing robust activity. Harnessing fungal biodegradation could reduce pesticide pollution, promote healthier ecosystems, and support sustainable agriculture. Further research is needed to optimize and scale these processes for practical applications, offering a viable solution to global environmental challenges.