Plant Uptake of Xenobiotics

Abstract

Plant uptake of organic chemicals is an important process when considering the risks associated with land contamination, the role of vegetation in the global cycling of persistent organic pollutants, the potential for contamination of the food chain and the design of pesticides. There have been some significant advances in our understanding of the processes of plant uptake of organic chemicals in recent years; most notably there is now a better understanding of the air to plant transfer pathway, which may be significant for a number of chemicals. This chapter identifies the key processes involved in the plant uptake of organic chemicals and also identifies other important factors in the uptake process e.g., plant lipid content, growth dilution and plant metabolism.