Abstract
Phytoextraction is the most promising technique and commonly used to remove heavy metals from the geo-environment. It is nonintrusive, cost-effective, and fast emerging technology. Different types of weeds such as Ipomoea carnea, Jatropha curcas, Trianthema portulacastrum, Cynodon dactylon, Typha angustifolia, Phyllanthus reticulatus, Echinochloa colonum, Vetiveria nemoralis, Amaranthus viridis, and Eleusine indica are being utilized to remediate the soil from heavy metals such as cadmium, chromium, lead, and mercury. The extraction of the heavy metals is basically done by root and shoot of weeds. These weeds have interlinked physiological and molecular interaction with the heavy metals (HMs). However, uptake capacities of HMs from the weeds are getting reduced due to interaction between plants genotype and its environment. Therefore it necessitates understanding the HM tolerance mechanism in the plants. In this context, this chapter gives overview of different types of weeds used for heavy metal extraction, physiological and molecular mechanism involve in phytoextraction process, and improvising weeds for increasing phytoextraction processes.
