Using plants to absorb toxicity in soil and thereby clean it up is not a new idea. It has been used with success for some years. It is cheap and obviously, environmentally very friendly. It works well in removing heavy metals such a zinc, copper, chromium and arsenic from contaminated soil. The drawback has, up to now, been the long period of time and the number of crops cycles that have to be gone through before a significant reduction in the soil contamination levels is noticed.
A solution may have been found with the discovery of a method of introducing heavy metal resistant bacteria in the plants such oilseed rape, which is used for the production of biodiesel. Scientists in Ireland have found that injecting the plants with these heavy metal resistant bacteria provides protection which enables the seeds to germinate better which produces better crop results in contaminated areas. The growth cycle is also faster which means the crops cycle time can be reduced.
The soil contaminants are absorbed by the plants and collect in their leaves and the bacteria attack and break them down into non polluting substances.
This discovery has twin benefits. Firstly it will allow crops to be grown on even highly contaminated land where nothing could be planted before. Secondly, as the bacteria have a positive impact on the plants? growth cycle, plant production can be increase which will allow more biofuel crops to be grown on the same land and thus increase the farmers? income and the availability of biodiesel.
Oilseed rape is a member of the cabbage and Brussels sprouts family which are already widely grown in Ireland. Since the farmers will not be dealing with a totally unfamiliar plant, it is expected that growing of this crop will be eagerly taken up by Irish farmers who will now be able to use previously barren land. As this process stabilizes, scientists expect it to become popular the world over. It will sure be extremely beneficial to us.
Scientists are now working on finding more strains of heavy metal resistant bacteria and introducing them to other bio fuel crops.
