production of genetically modified crops
Production Of Genetically Modified crops
Literature survey
12/7/2013
Ibrahim Hashi
Introduction
The discovery of the molecular structure of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) by Watson and Crick in the early 1950s (Watson and Crick, 1953) paved the way for modern biotechnology which focuses on gene manipulation to enhance the ability of specific organisms to perform tasks or produce substances for human benefit. Today there are applications in agriculture, horticulture, forestry, environmental remediation, medicine, and forensic science (see reviews in Mannion, 2007, Fukuda-Parr, 2006, Murphy, 2007). The first commercial product of such endeavour was synthetic insulin in 1977 followed in 1988 by rennin, an enzyme used widely in the food industry. However, genetic manipulation has been most widely applied in agriculture and horticulture to produce crops with resistance to herbicides and insects. The first staple crops with engineered traits first became commercially available in 1996; they were: maize (corn), rape (canola), soybean and cotton.
The agriculture industry has traditionally been supportive of technological advancement, particularly in the field of genetic crop improvement.1 For decades, the industry has been mixing naturally the genetic traits of seeds in the search for particularly robust varieties.
Genetically-modified (GM) seeds are a significant step forward in the production of agricultural crops. GM seeds are seeds that have been modified to contain specific characteristics such as resistance to herbicides (in the case of "Roundup Ready" products) or resistance to pests (in the case of Bt corn). But the method of modification used with GM seeds varies from the traditional method in an important respect: the genes have not been modified over generations of cross-fertilization, but rather inserted directly into the DNA of the seed.2 Although this method is more efficient, critics fear that the result — a "novel gene
Literature survey
12/7/2013
Ibrahim Hashi
Introduction
The discovery of the molecular structure of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) by Watson and Crick in the early 1950s (Watson and Crick, 1953) paved the way for modern biotechnology which focuses on gene manipulation to enhance the ability of specific organisms to perform tasks or produce substances for human benefit. Today there are applications in agriculture, horticulture, forestry, environmental remediation, medicine, and forensic science (see reviews in Mannion, 2007, Fukuda-Parr, 2006, Murphy, 2007). The first commercial product of such endeavour was synthetic insulin in 1977 followed in 1988 by rennin, an enzyme used widely in the food industry. However, genetic manipulation has been most widely applied in agriculture and horticulture to produce crops with resistance to herbicides and insects. The first staple crops with engineered traits first became commercially available in 1996; they were: maize (corn), rape (canola), soybean and cotton.
The agriculture industry has traditionally been supportive of technological advancement, particularly in the field of genetic crop improvement.1 For decades, the industry has been mixing naturally the genetic traits of seeds in the search for particularly robust varieties.
Genetically-modified (GM) seeds are a significant step forward in the production of agricultural crops. GM seeds are seeds that have been modified to contain specific characteristics such as resistance to herbicides (in the case of "Roundup Ready" products) or resistance to pests (in the case of Bt corn). But the method of modification used with GM seeds varies from the traditional method in an important respect: the genes have not been modified over generations of cross-fertilization, but rather inserted directly into the DNA of the seed.2 Although this method is more efficient, critics fear that the result — a "novel gene
References: Barfoot P, and Brookes G (2008). Global impact of biotech crops: Socio-economic and environmental effects, 1996-2006 Bagla P (2010) Hardy cotton-munching pests are latest blow to GM crops. Science 327: 1439. Benner SA and Sismour AM (2005). Synthetic biology. Nature Reviews Genetics 6, 533-543. Bohn T, Primicerio R, Hessen D.O, Traavik, T. 2008. Reduced fitness of Daphnia magna fed a Bttransgenic maize variety Bruce, T.J.A. 2012. GM as a route for delivery of sustainable crop protection. Journal of Experimental Botany 63: 537–541. Burney, JA, Davis SJ and Lobell DB (2010) Greenhouse gas mitigation by agricultural intensification Ellstrand, N.C, Prentice, H.C. and Hancock, J.F. (1999) Gene flow and introgression from domesticated plants into their wild relatives Griffiths, B.S., Geoghegan, I.E. & Robertson, W.M. 2000. Testing genetically engineered potato, producing the lectins GNA and Con A, on non-target soil organisms and processes Hails, R.S. (2000) Genetically modified plants – the debate continues. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 15: 14-18. Qaim M (2009) The economics of genetically modified crops. Annual Review of Resource Economics 1: 665–693. 30Robert Blomquist, Toward Reconceptualizing Liability to Neighbors for Crop, Livestock, and Personal Damages from Agricultural Chemical Drift, Oklahoma Law Review (Summer 1995). Neil Hamilton, Legal Issues Shaping Society 's Acceptance of Biotechnology and Genetically Modified Organisms, Drake Journal of Agricultural Law (Spring 2001). The challenge is great but then so is the need.