Phytotechnology and Photosynthesis - Environmental Biotechnology: Theory and Application - page 169

biosensors, which tend to be designed around isolated biochemical reactions, in
this approach, the plants are used as entire biological test systems. Moreover,
unlike conventional chemical analytical methods which produce quantifiable,
numeric measurements, the varieties used have been selected for their abilities
to identify contaminants by reacting to the specific effects these substances
have on the plant's vital functions. Thus, by directing the focus firmly onto
the obvious and discernable biological consequences of the pollutants and
then codifying this into a diagnostic tool, the assessment process is made
more readily available to a wider range of those who have an interest in

pollution control.
The development of this technology is still in its relatively early stages, but
it would appear to open up the way for a controllable method to determine
pollutant effects. It seems likely that they will be of particular value as early
detection systems in the field, since they are functional within a broad range
of pH and under varied climatic conditions. An additional benefit is that they
are responsive to both long-term pollution or incidental spillages and can be
applied to either laboratory or on-site investigations to monitor air, soil or water,
even on turbid or coloured samples, which often cause anomalous readings with
spectrophotometric test methods. Moreover, since they are based around gross
observable effects, they may offer significant opportunity for effective pollution
monitoring for remote areas and parts of the world where skilled laboratory
practitioners are in short supply.

Closing Remarks

The scope of opportunities available to phytotechnological interventions are, then,
wide ranging, and much of their potential still remains to be explored. It seems
likely that the increasingly prioritised initiatives to find low-cost systems to bring
about effective remediation, effluent control and carbon sequestration will con-
tinue to favour their uptake in the coming years. However, it is unavoidably true
that the adoption of any plant-utilising bioengineering applications will depend as
much on local modalities as on the actual state of the biotechnologies themselves.
In this respect, phytotechnology has much in its favour. For one thing, it has the
enormous benefit of virtually assured universal public acceptance, which is rare
for any biotechnology. Commercially, it is a relatively low intervention, highly
'green' and thoroughly non-contentious approach to environmental management,
which has a strong potentially positive contribution to corporate image, with a
relatively low negative influence on the balance sheet. The great advantage that
almost all plant-based systems bring to biological engineering is the tremendous
energy saving represented by their solar-powered nature. This, combined with
their essentially integrated and intrinsically complex array of metabolic mech-
anisms makes a variety of plant species extremely useful in an environmental