TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ENVIRONMENT - Preferred Method: The bean seedlings are alfalfa, bean, clover, pea, soybean, chickpea, lentil, lupin, or other leguminous plant. Contaminants are organic (e.g. Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB), TNT or atrazine) or inorganic (e.g. nitrate). The bacterial strain is e.g. Rhizobium meliloti strain A-025 (American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) Accession No. PTA-1457), Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. phaseoli strain B5 (ATCC Accession No. PTA-1458), Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. trifoli strain T10 (ATCC Accession No. PTA-1459), etc. SPECIFIC MICROORGANISMS - The bacterial strain is Rhizobium meliloti strain A-025 (American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) Accession No. PTA-1457), Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. phaseoli strain B5 (ATCC Accession No. PTA-1458), Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. trifoli strain T10 (ATCC Accession No. PTA-1459), Rhizobium meliloti strain M8 (ATCC No. 700899), Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viceae strain P1 (ATCC No. 700900), or Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viceae strain P2 (ATCC No. 700901).    EXAMPLE - Seeds of alfalfa, clover, soybean, Romano beans, red and white kidney beans, pole beans, Fava beans, chickpea, lentil, lupin and pea were surface sterilized by soaking in 95 % ethanol for 10 seconds. This was followed by a 5 minute treatment with 2.8 % sodium hypochlorite and thorough rinsing with sterile distilled water. The seeds were then soaked for 5 hours at room temperature or for 18 hours at 4 degrees Centigrade in sterile water for germination. Contaminated soils were used in their original state to sow the seeds, or in suspension form for seed inoculation, or were enriched with degradative microbial populations before inoculation of germinated seedlings. Seeds were then placed either on agar plates or slants, or in a sterilized sand-vermiculite-perlite (1:1:1) mixture in plastic plant pots or sterile test tube assembly. Germination took place at 23 degrees Centigrade in a 16 hour per day light setting using a 1000W metal halide lamp that produced 250 microEinstein m-2 per second at plant height. Uninoculated controls were included to verify that the seeds used were rhizobium-free. Observations were recorded after 6 - 8 weeks for nodule formation, and for 3 - 4 months to establish efficacy of nodules for nitrogen fixation relative to deteriorating or dead plants resulting from uninoculated nodule-free controls.