Quake3World

Genetically modified plants may be the green solution for cleaning up contaminated soils.

The results of a successful field trial in California last year were published last week in the online arm of Environmental Science & Technology. They showed that genetic engineering boosted a plant's ability to absorb selenium, a toxic heavy metal, by 430 percent.

"It was our first trial, and we were surprised at how well it worked," said study author Norman Terry, a professor of plant and microbial biology with the University of California, Berkeley.

Phytoremediation -- the use of plants to absorb or break down contaminants -- has been used over the past decade with varying success. Genetic engineering offers the potential to ramp up the slow-growing phytoremediation industry with a new generation of toxin-cleaning super plants.