Reduction Strategy of Antibiotic Resistance Gene Pollution in Soil of China

In recent years, the issue of antibiotic resistance in soil environment has been increasingly severe and has gradually become a global challenge that threatens the health of humans, animals, and plants. Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) serve as important carriers and indicators of resistance that spread in soil. It is crucial to find suitable strategies to reduce their abundance and transmission risk in soil, which is a key focus for further advancing the health of life-ecology integration at present and in the future. The main pathways for ARGs entering soil include the application of manure and irrigation with wastewater. Based on the different sources of ARGs, techniques such as aerobic composting and anaerobic digestion can effectively prevent their entry into the soil. Once ARGs unavoidably enter the soil, proactive research and the use of in-situ remediation techniques such as bacteriophages, biochar, and regulation techniques like plant intercropping are still necessary to create an immune soil microecological environment. The effectiveness and technical advantages and disadvantages of ARGs removal from the perspectives of control, remediation, and regulation techniques are summarized in this article which could provide references for the development and practical application of technologies to reduce ARGs in soil.