Field trial demonstrating phytoremediation of the military explosive RDX by XplA/XplB-expressing switchgrass.
Timothy J CaryElizabeth L RylottLong ZhangRyan M RoutsongAntonio J PalazzoStuart E StrandNeil C BrucePublished in: Nature biotechnology (2021)
The explosive hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX), a major component of munitions, is used extensively on military training ranges. As a result, widespread RDX pollution in groundwater and aquifers in the United States is now well documented. RDX is toxic, but its removal from training ranges is logistically challenging, lacking cost-effective and sustainable solutions. Previously, we have shown that thale cress (Arabidopsis thaliana) engineered to express two genes, xplA and xplB, encoding RDX-degrading enzymes from the soil bacterium Rhodococcus rhodochrous 11Y can break down this xenobiotic in laboratory studies. Here, we report the results of a 3-year field trial of XplA/XplB-expressing switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) conducted on three locations in a military site. Our data suggest that XplA/XplB switchgrass has in situ efficacy, with potential utility for detoxifying RDX on live-fire training ranges, munitions dumps and minefields.
Keyphrases
- arabidopsis thaliana
- heavy metals
- study protocol
- human health
- posttraumatic stress disorder
- virtual reality
- clinical trial
- phase iii
- risk assessment
- phase ii
- randomized controlled trial
- health risk assessment
- multidrug resistant
- gene expression
- big data
- water quality
- artificial intelligence
- plant growth
- high resolution