Environmental exposure to heavy metals such as arsenic and chromium has become a serious problem worldwide. The recent advances in the knowledge of metal hyperaccumulation by some plant species have recognized phytoextraction as a prospective proposition using hyperaccumulator plants. This paper enumerates the progress in phytoextraction of metals using fern species with emphasis on the arsenic hyperaccumulator Pteris vittata. The scopes of R&D for value addition in ferns for efficient phytoremediation application have also been discussed.
Keywords: Aluminum (Al), aquatic ferns, Athyrium yokoscense, Azolla sliculoides, arsenic (As), biosphere, cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), ferns, glutathione (GSH), Holcus lantus, hyperaccumulator, lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), metal transport, nickel (Ni), Pityrogramma calomelanos, Pteris vittata, zinc (Zn).