Studies have shown that herbivores, like the locust

shown here, are not likely to eat plants that have
absorbed metals such as zinc. The plant on the right,
which had not absorbed zinc, was quickly devoured.

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Advantages

Disadvantages

+ Pollutants become benign, useful

substances

+ can be used to generate

biodegradable material from

renewable resources

+ could develop environmentally

safe manufacturing and disposal

processes

+ leaves soil intact

(unlike

conventional methods)

+ it's passive, solar

energy driven

+ useful in treating a wide

variety of

contaminants and sites

+ less expensive (almost 1/10

the cost of the more laborious

traditional methods!)

+ more efficient and less

destructive

+ it's a natural solution!

+ increased land value of

brownfield sites

+ hyperaccumulators are

unattractive to insects and

have a reduced chance of

fungal and bacterial infections

+ genetically engineered

phytoremediators could lead to

plants with higher levels of

dietary metals and

micronutrients

- Social response and controversy

(ethical contention may lead to

criminal activity)

- possible release of the stored

contaminants through either

transpiration or incineration

- possibly disastrous effects on the

food chain

- transgenic varieties may lead

to uncontrollable infectious

organisms

- genetic alterations may cause

immunity to pesticides and

herbicides

- the process is limited to relatively

shallow contamination sites and

is dependent on the adaptability if

the plant

Several protest groups have launched intense and at times violent

propaganda against any form of genetic alteration (including
biotechnological enhancements!)

consequences

necessary breakthroughs

major barrier is lack of basic knowledge about the process, molecular genetics and biochemical

mechanisms of adaptive metal tolerance in plants

perfection of a genetic engineering process

genes responsible for desirable characteristics must be located in specifically designated plants

the reproductive biology of the plant and the distribution of its sexually compatible relatives

must be known because the introgression of genetic information from one plant to another is
only possible if the two plants are sexually compatible and if their hybrid offspring are viable

must understand impact of introduced trait