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Genetically engineered plants:The scope and hope in controlling pollution

Kanchan Kumari*
University Departement of Zoology, Ranchi University, Ranchi, Jharkhand, India
Received : 25th November, 2017 ; Revised :19th December, 2017

Abstract : “Stopping pollution is the best solution”; and what can check pollution better than the plants!! Plants absorb the pollutants or simply break the pollutants down into harmless by-products that are incorporated into their roots, stems and leaves or released into the air. But plants too have the tolerance limit. Plants have its own way of cleaning the environment by removing pollutants to maintain a perfect balance but in this era of industrialization the rate of pollutants discharges has crossed the tolerance limit of the plants. The tolerance limit of the plants can be enhanced with the help of Genetic Engineering for the global cause. Genetically engineered grasses and trees could help remove toxin and explosive residues from the environment more quickly and cheaply than ever. In a recent laboratory test it has been experimentally proved that the transgenic plants are able to remove as much as 91 percent of trichloroethylene (one of the common ground water contaminant) than the regular plants. Plant biologists worked in the lab with experimental Poplar tree-cuttings that can break down the pollutant- ‘trichloroethylene’ at rates 100 times that of the normal plants. The transgenic plants have been shown to remove airborne pollutants, providing a new approach someday may reduce the large threat posed by air pollution. Hence, in coming era, the genetically engineered plants are going to be the ultimate scope and hope in controlling pollution effectively.

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