Microbial bioresources for rehabilitation of natural and anthropogenic deserts

Arid lands and deserts cover one fifth of the earth’s land surface and they are currently increasing due to the global warming. Besides the natural desert settings, human activities lead to the desertification of certain areas: municipal landfills and caves are the most common examples of such anthropogenic deserts. Massive pollution and lack of natural soil profiles create harsh conditions and hinder the spontaneous rehabilitation of such areas. Phytoremediation is often used for renaturalization of such degraded soils. Two case studies are presented aiming at demonstrating that the plant-microbe interactions are essential for improving the soil quality and allowing the formation of crops.…