PHYTONET
Phytoremediation Electronic Newsgroup Network   

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A new network that might interest many of you... ABIOTIC STRESS 2000  

One of the problems that have to be considered when evaluating the possibility of operating a phytoremediation action for remedial of a degraded site is the effect of stress on plants.
Obviously the presence of pollutants is a stress itself. Moreover, the presence of high concentrations of salts at some sites causes osmotic stress to plants. Plants used for phytoremediation can also undergo different stress conditions, both abiotic (such as cold, heat or drought stress) and biotic.

Crop species have been selected during centuries for their ability to withstand adverse environmental conditions, and research on the molecular and physiological mechanisms that lead to stress resistance, and of the genetic basis for these mechanisms, has been mainly focused on the most important crop species.

We believe that also phytoremediation can benefit of any progress in understanding of the basic mechanisms of stress resistance, and we think that exchange of information between scientists involved in characterization of stress response of higher plants and people more directly involved in phytoremediation could be useful for both.
One of the main purposes of PHYTONET is actually to allow exchange of information between people involved in different fields (at basic or applied level) related with phytoremediation.

Therefore, we are cooperating with Texas Tech University at Lubbock in order to establish a Network for exchange of information about plant response to Abiotic Stress. This new Network will allow exchange of information between different groups, and will have a strong link with PHYTONET in order to transfer knowledge from crop plants or from basic laboratory studies towards a possible application in phytoremediation.

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