Heavy metals like Zinc (Zn), Lead ( Pb), Copper (Cu), Nickel (Ni) and Cadmium (Cd) were removed from a plot of soil polluted with atrazine herbicide and a control without pollution, using the white rot fungus Pleurotus tuberrigium. Results showed that heavy metals were more in the atrazine polluted soil than in the control plot. At the end of 120 days, 11%, 72%, 94%, 100% reduction was achieved for Zn, Pb, Cu and Ni, in the control plots respectively. While 50%, 88%, 96%, 97%, and 78% reduction was achieved for Zn, Pb, Cu, Ni, and Cd in the atrazine herbicide polluted plot. Other physicochemical parameters like pH, EC, %OC, Na, K, Ca and Mg contents during these periods were also studied. Significant increase of essential nutrients like Na, K, Ca and Mg was achieved at P≤ 0.05 while pH reduced. Heavy metals could be very toxic to plants, animals and microorganisms if left unpremeditated.

Key words:  Heavy metals, Removal, Atrazine herbicide, Pleurotus tuberrigium