The increase in industrialization has led to an exponential increase in heavy metal (HM) soil contamination, which poses a serious threat to public health and ecosystem stability. This review emphasizes the urgent need to develop innovative technologies for the environmental remediation of intensive anthropogenic pollution. Phytoremediation is a sustainable and cost-effective approach for the detoxification of contaminated soils using various plant species. This review discusses in detail the basic principles of phytoremediation and emphasizes its ecological advantages over other methods for cleaning contaminated areas and its technical viability. Much attention has been given to the selection of hyperaccumulator plants for phytoremediation that can grow on heavy metal-contaminated soils, and the biochemical mechanisms that allow these plants to isolate, detoxify, and accumulate heavy metals are discussed in detail. The novelty of our study lies in reviewing the mechanisms of plant–microorganism interactions that greatly enhance the efficiency of phytoremediation as well as in discussing genetic modifications that could revolutionize the cleanup of contaminated soils. Moreover, this manuscript discusses potential applications of phytoremediation beyond soil detoxification, including its role in bioenergy production and biodiversity restoration in degraded habitats. This review concludes by listing the serious problems that result from anthropogenic environmental pollution that future generations still need to overcome and suggests promising research directions in which the integration of nano- and biotechnology will play an important role in enhancing the effectiveness of phytoremediation. These contributions are critical for environmental scientists, policy makers, and practitioners seeking to utilize phytoremediation to maintain the ecological stability of the environment and its restoration.

Adverse environmental conditions, including drought stress, pose a significant threat to plant survival and agricultural productivity, necessitating innovative and efficient approaches to enhance their resilience. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are recognized as key elements in regulating plant adaptation to drought stress, with a notable ability to modulate various physiological and molecular mechanisms. This review provides an in-depth analysis of the role of miRNAs in drought response mechanisms, including abscisic acid (ABA) signaling, reactive oxygen species (ROS) detoxification, and the optimization of root system architecture. Additionally, it examines the effectiveness of bioinformatics tools, such as those employed in in silico analyses, for studying miRNA-mRNA interactions, as well as the potential for their integration with experimental methods. Advanced methods such as microarray analysis, high-throughput sequencing (HTS), and RACE-PCR are discussed for their contributions to miRNA target identification and validation. Moreover, new data and perspectives are presented on the role of miRNAs in plant responses to abiotic stresses, particularly drought adaptation. This review aims to deepen the understanding of genetic regulatory mechanisms in plants and to establish a robust scientific foundation for the development of drought-tolerant crop varieties.

Drought stress is one of the most severe abiotic constraints limiting crop productivity worldwide, a challenge that is intensifying under ongoing climate change. In recent years, beneficial microorganisms have emerged as sustainable, nature-based tools to enhance plant drought tolerance and stabilize agricultural production under water-limited conditions. This review synthesizes current knowledge on the major groups of beneficial bacteria involved in drought stress mitigation, including plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), a functional subgroup of rhizosphere-associated microbes, endophytic bacteria, rhizosphere-associated microbes, and cyanobacteria, highlighting their primary physiological, biochemical, and soil-mediated mechanisms. These microorganisms enhance drought resilience through multiple complementary pathways, such as modulation of abscisic acid (ABA) and auxin (IAA) signaling, ACC deaminase activity, osmotic adjustment, antioxidant defense, improved nutrient acquisition, and enhancement of soil structure and water retention. The review further discusses practical application strategies, including seed inoculation, soil and root application, foliar spraying, the use of single strains versus microbial consortia, and advances in bioformulations and carrier materials that improve microbial survival and field efficacy. Emphasis is placed on recent experimental and field studies demonstrating the effectiveness of microbial inoculants under drought conditions. Collectively, the evidence highlights the potential of beneficial bacteria as key components of climate-resilient agriculture and underscores the need for integrated, formulation-driven approaches to translate laboratory success into consistent field performance.

Drought stress limits plant survival and yield in arid regions. Uncovering the molecular mechanisms of drought tolerance is key to developing resilient crops. This study used Arabidopsis thaliana as a model to perform an in silico analysis of miRNA–mRNA interactions linked to post-transcriptional drought response. Using the MirTarget program, 274 miRNAs and 48,143 gene transcripts were analyzed to predict high-confidence miRNA–mRNA interactions based on binding free energies (−79 to −129 kJ/mole). Predicted binding sites were located in the CDS, 5′UTR, and 3′UTR regions of target mRNAs. Key regulatory interactions included ath-miR398a-c and ath-miR829-5p targeting ROS detoxification genes (CSD1, FSD1); ath-miR393a/b-5p and ath-miR167a-c-5p targeting hormonal signaling genes (TIR1, ARF6); and the miR169 family, ath-miR414, and ath-miR838 targeting drought-related transcription factors (NF-YA5, DREB1A, WRKY40). Notably, ath-miR414, ath-miR838, and the miR854 family showed broad regulatory potential, targeting thousands of genes. These findings suggest the presence of conserved regulatory modules with potential roles in abiotic stress tolerance. While no direct experimental validation was performed, the results from Arabidopsis thaliana provide a useful genomic framework for hypothesis generation and future functional studies in non-model plant species. This work provides a molecular foundation for improving drought and salt stress tolerance through bioinformatics-assisted breeding and genetic research.

The study performs an analysis and comparison of two completely different, but in some cases similar regions of West and East Kazakhstan. The influence of climate data changes, soil structure and its sensitivity on desertification in Kazakhstan over the decades of the 2000s, 2010s and from 2020 to 2024 is described using the example of West and East Kazakhstan. The author compared and detected that the soil types: Zg, XI, So, WR and KI are found both in the West and in the East of Kazakhstan exposed to degradation of soil structure. Climatic parameters, such as the temperature of the area fixed range between 3.6-4.9°С, humidity change significantly, all the time within 64% and 77%, and precipitation in different time periods changed from 416 mm to 605 mm. Using remote sensing data, the author analyzed changes in the natural environment, created visualizations and 3D modeling during the monitoring process. Thus, a set of existing research papers, statistical information and own experience were presented, since in the course of the work the results of scientific research on desertification were presented. The results of the study showed that there is an accelerated process of land desertification in Kazakhstan.

Қоршаған ортаның ластануы адам өмірінде және экожүйеде көбірек орын алуда. Мұнда қазба отынды пайдаланудан, тау-кен өндірісін дамытудан, қалдықтарды жағудан, өнеркәсіптік ағынды сулары төгілуден су, топырақ және ауа сияқты табиғи ресурстар ластануда. Қазіргі уақытта ауыр металдар улылығымен, атмосферада ұзақ өмір сүруімен және биоаккумуляция арқылы адам ағзасында жиналу қабілетімен қоршаған ортаны ластаушы көздердің негізгісі болып отыр. Сондықтан негізгі ластаушы факторларды анықтау мен қадағалау өте маңызды мәселе ретінде қарасырылуда. Мақала Атырау облысы Мақат ауданынадағы мұнай – газ игерудегі ластаушы заттардың құрамын зерттеу, топырақтағы мұнай қалдықтарының таралуын зерханалық талдау және экожүйеге әсерін бағалау мақсатында қарастырылды. Сонымен қатар мұндағы мұнай қалдықтарымен, соның ішінде әртүрлі көмірсутектермен, ауыр металдармен және басқа химиялық қосылыстармен ластанған, тұзданған топырақты қалпына келтіру мен жақсарту әдістерін әзірлеу мақсатында жүргізілді. Аумақтағы зерттелген нүктелердегі топырақтар ауыр металдардың ішінде қорғасынмен (Pb) ластанғанын көрсетті, оның құрамы барлық тереңдікте 4 есе шекті рұқсат етілген концентрациядан асатындығы дәлелденді. Сондымен қатар батпақ тұзданудың жоғары деңгейімен сипатталынды, ал тұздардың кальций-натрий мен сульфатты-хлоридті түрінің басым болып, топырақ жоғары карбонатты екендігі анықталды.