Microbiological fertilizers for the future decontamination and detoxification of warfare-affected soils

Warfare and military operations impact all the environmental compartments, but soils are most affected. Unlike dynamic systems such as air and water, soils are not able to decrease concentrations of pollutants quickly and effectively due to the dilution effect. Some contaminants can remain in soils for a few years, decades and even centuries, for example, lead (Pb) a typical heavy metal of warfare actions. The war impact on soils can be divided into mechanical (bombturbation, movement of heavy military equipment, trenches, fortifications), physical (heat, noise, vibration, radiation), chemical (explosives, heavy metals, oil products, PAH) and biological (dead bodies, mass graves, pathogenic microbes). All these factors result in the complete degradation of soil ecosystems. Thus, soils lose their main property fertility and become unsuitable for intended use. This influences food production and food security dramatically since one-third of black soils (chernozems one of the most fertile soils globally) are located in Ukraine. Consequently, in the near future, the ongoing destruction and contamination of Ukrainian fertile soils can lead to not only a regional ecological disaster but also a global food crisis. In order to avoid full-scale ecological and food crises and save the status of Ukraine as an agricultural country, it is essential to develop and implement environmentally friendly biotechnologies for soil detoxication, decontamination, sanitation and restoration. It is essential to remediate not only visible mechanical damage (fill funnels with soil) but also chemical and biological contamination, which requires extended laboratory analysis and field investigation. If the restoration and rehabilitation of warfare-affected lands are not started in time, inaction can result in intense erosion, waterlogging or desertification, vertical and horizontal migration of pollutants into underground and surface waters, toxic dust formation by wind and entering xenobiotics and toxicants in food chains. In the ongoing project, we explore the efficiency of biofertilizers produced in Ukraine for developing eco-friendly approaches for enhanced phytoremediation (biodegradation of organic explosives, enhanced phytoextraction of potentially toxic metal(loid)s, phytostabilization). The tested inocula cover an array of beneficial bacteria and fungi, including Azotobacter, Lactobacillus, Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aureofaciens, Trichoderma viride (lignorum, harzianum), as well as various combinations of bacteria and fungi.