• Members of the previous forum can retrieve their temporary password here, (login and check your PM).

New Species of Metal-Eating Plant Discovered

Migrated topic.
It is plants like these that have so much potential in regards to the planet's status. I think it's important to let it do this in its natural locality, too.

Hyperacccumulator plants have great potentials for the development of green technologies, for example, 'phytoremediation' and 'phytomining'," explains Dr Augustine Doronila of the School of Chemistry, University of Melbourne, who is also co-author of the report.

Phytoremediation refers to the use of hyperacccumulator plants to remove heavy metals in contaminated soils. Phytomining, on the other hand, is the use of hyperacccumulator plants to grow and harvest in order to recover commercially valuable metals in plant shoots from metal-rich sites.
Click to expand...

So it seems plausible to grow this plant near sites that have been contaminated with moderate-high to extreme levels of toxic metal accumulation. Thus reducing the output of contaminated soils and regenerating the life within the surrounding environment. Definitely something of aid to the earth's ecosystem.
 
Additionally.. I think its pretty cool that our friends Datura (innoxia, metel, discolor, stramonium), and Nicotiana glauca are also hyperaccumulators.
The information is scattered throughout various phytoremediation review papers and I wanted to find one specifically on Datura, but could not.
"...D.innoxia and P.karka were the most suitable species for phytoextraction of cadmium, if the whole plant or above ground biomass is harvested."
This from page 225 of the posted paper below.


Also, Nicotiana glauca - Tree tobacco - a plant that grows very well in waste areas and lots around my area, peaked my curiosity one day and I decided to look to see if it had been investigated as a phytoremediator - and lo and behold it had. In addition, the researchers overexpressed a wheat phytochelatin gene in order to strengthen its resistance to the heavy metals (Pb and Cd). This led to a 160% increase in root growth! Seems like a promising tool.
A plant genetically modified that accumulates Pb is especially promising for phytoremediation - PubMed

It appears the Solanaceaes can hang when the going gets tough!
 
Back
Top Bottom