The main sources of soil contamination are anthropogenic activities, which
result in the accumulation of contaminants that can reach levels considered toxic. One
of the main soils contaminants these days is heavy metals. These metals are
bioaccumulative and are not biodegradable, so many of them are toxic when they
exceed certain limits. Heavy metals, when accumulated in the tissues of plants, animals
and humans, induce severe symptoms that can even cause death. Bioremediation is a
widely used technology to decrease the levels of these metals in soils and waters using
microorganisms, among which fungi stand out. Nanotechnology currently applies the
bases of bioremediation using fungi at the nanoparticle level to treat soils contaminated
with heavy metals. This chapter will discuss novel aspects related to heavy metals in
modern agriculture, bioremediation and nanotechnology using fungi with
bioremediation purposes.
Keywords: Agriculture, Fungi, Heavy metals, Nanotechnology, Soil contamination
