Pesticide Biodegradation: Mechanisms, Genetics and Strategies to Enhance the Process

As a result of human activities, currently a large number of pollutants and waste are eliminated to the environment. Worldwide, more than one billion pounds of toxins are released into the air and water. Approximately 6x106 chemical compounds have been produced; annually 1,000 new products are synthetized and between 60,000 and 95,000 chemicals are commercially used [1]. Among these substances are chemical pesticides, which are used extensively in most areas of crop production in order to minimize pest infestations, to protect the crop yield losses and to avoid reducing the product quality.