Application prospects of dark septate endophytes and humic acid in the remediation of heavy metal contaminated soil

Soil heavy metal contamination has posed a severe threat to the agriculture and ecological environments globally, and jeopardized human health through the food chain. Currently, green and sustainable bioremediation technologies have received extensive attention in the treatment of soil heavy metal pollution, including phytoremediation, microbial remediation, and organic amendment remediation. Among them, dark septate endophytic fungi (DSE) and humic acid (HA) have demonstrated notable efficacy. In this study, relevant literature was retrieved from databases, including Web of Science and PubMed. The research focuses on the mechanisms and applications of DSE and HA in the remediation of heavy metal pollution within agricultural and mining-affected regions. The principles of their individual actions, technical limitations, and potential synergistic strategies for combined application were systematically reviewed. However, the synergistic mechanism of their integrated application in the remediation of heavy metal-contaminated soils requires further in-depth investigation. This study presents novel insights and methods in the field of soil remediation, thereby providing more robust support for addressing global heavy metal contamination challenges.