A tobacco GMO against the buried mines
By Denis Delbecq • July 30th, 2008 in 11:56 · Category: Actuality
As soon as a new genetically modified organism checks off the end of the nose, supporters and adversaries of biotechnologies if étripent, notably on GMO with food destination. But they often forget that the modification of the genome of plants aims not only at protecting them from plague. If that's how it is of a tobacco transgénique trials of which should soon begin in Southern Africa. A plant re-programmed to change colour when the soil contains buried mines.
The mine clearance of the ancient zones of conflict is a necessary operation to avoid accidents which kill or handicap years after the end of hostilities. It is case in several dozens countries, notably in Angola, in Bosnia, in Cambodia, in Sri Lanka, or in Nepal where millions of mines remain buried, forbidding considerable surfaces to very use. Researchers of the South African University of Stellenbosch got closer to a Danish business company of biotechnologies, Aresa, which had perfected a genetic modification which gives a red colour to the foliage when the soil contains some dioxide of nitrogen. By getting old, conventional explosives unloose this gas which roots can pick up.
At first, Aresa had worked on a mustard. But the small size of the foliage complicates the remote detection of the buried mines. Where from the adaptation to a tobacco, plants vegetation of which is important. The change of colour is visible six weeks after seedling. The researchers of the University of Stellenbosch asked for the trial permission in open country in their country. To avoid risks of environmental pollution, young plants will be harvested before blossoming.
It remains that this method of detection will first have to prove that it is reliable in 100 %. No mine must be forgotten. What mine clearance expert would go to walk in a field of tobacco if he is not sure that all explosives were marked with a foliage in nice autumn colours?
Picture: Mine clearance expert in Mozambique © DVLT - International Disability
Article read 2,087 times. Tags:mine, GMO, pollution, tobacco
Comments in 