NaCl is harmful to most crop plants. A scientist at the University of Toronto genetically modified a plant so that it could be grown in dry parts of the world where the available water has a high level of NaCl. This genetically modified plant copes with the high levels of NaCl by transporting salt into its vacuoles where it accumulated to abnormally high level. which feature would be observed in the genetically modified plant when compared to a non-modified plant ?

Options

A. The leaves in the modified plant are more yellow in colour
B. The modified plant has salt srystals on the surface of its leves
C. The cytosol (the materal between the plasma membrane and the vacuole membrane, excluding the organelles) in the modified plant has a lower osmotic pressure
D. The cytosol in the modified plant has a higher osmotic pressure

Explanation

To answer the question regarding the features observed in a genetically modified plant that can cope with high levels of NaCl, we can break down the solution into several steps:

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Understanding the Problem**:
- The question states that NaCl (sodium chloride) is harmful to most crop plants. A genetically modified plant has been developed to survive in environments with high NaCl levels by accumulating salt in its vacuoles.

2. **Mechanism of Action**:
- The genetically modified plant transports excess NaCl into its vacuoles. This process allows the plant to compartmentalize the salt, keeping it away from the cytosol (the fluid inside the cell).

3. **Osmotic Pressure Concept**:
- Osmotic pressure is the pressure required to stop the flow of water into a solution through a semi-permeable membrane. Water moves from areas of low osmotic pressure (less solute concentration) to areas of high osmotic pressure (more solute concentration).

4. **Effect of Salt Accumulation**:
- As the NaCl accumulates in the vacuoles of the genetically modified plant, the osmotic pressure of the cytosol decreases relative to the vacuoles. This means that the cytosol will have a lower concentration of solutes compared to the vacuoles.

5. **Comparative Analysis**:
- When comparing the genetically modified plant to a non-modified plant, we can conclude that the modified plant will have a higher osmotic pressure in its vacuoles due to the accumulation of NaCl, while the cytosol will have a lower osmotic pressure.

6. **Conclusion**:
- Therefore, the feature observed in the genetically modified plant, when compared to a non-modified plant, is that the cytosol of the modified plant has a higher osmotic pressure due to the accumulation of salt in the vacuoles.

### Final Answer:
The genetically modified plant has a higher osmotic pressure in its vacuoles compared to the cytosol, which has a lower osmotic pressure.