Emerging Technologies Magazine

Genetically Modified (GM) crops are targets for an often violent debate. Advocates of GM crops point to the higher yields and benefits like built-in pest resistance that modifying the genes of the crops can provide. Opponents say that the safety of GM crops has not been proven through long-term use and that they might cause unforeseen harm to environment and consumers.

Traditionally, the technique of cross-breeding between different species has been used to transfer desirable characteristics from one species to another. However, this procedure is time-consuming and cannot often produce the specific results that we want.

Genetic modification involves working with the genes of crop plants. Because it is genes that determine the characteristics of organisms, it is possible to change the characteristics by modifying the genes using molecular biotechnology. Scientists might, for example, locate a gene that provides drought resistance, and insert that gene into a plant used as food crop. Done successfully, this can provide drought resistance trait to the food crop.

Genetic modification has provided several advantages:

• Crops with pest-resistance eliminate the need to use pesticides, with consequent lower costs and also elimination of the health hazards that pesticides cause
• Crops resistant to herbicides can also provide a somewhat similar benefit. Herbicides are used to destroy weeds that reduce crop yields. Application of herbicides can affect the crop and also cause environmental damage. Both these results can be reduced by making the crops herbicide resistant
• Genetic modification that can improve resistance against viruses, fungi and bacteria that cause damage to crops can increase crop yields
• Tolerance for drought, cold and salinity can make it possible to grow crops in conditions formerly not possible, and thus meet the ever-increasing demand for food
• People in poorer countries often depend on a single food, such as rice. These food items might not provide adequate nutrition. Genetic modification can make such food items more balanced in nutritive value
• If food crops can be modified to provide medicinal and disease prevention benefits presently provided by medicines and vaccines, both availability and affordability of the medicines and vaccines can be improved
• Non-food plants have been modified to clean up the environment, e.g. remove metal pollutants from contaminated soil

Opposition to GM crops have been also gaining strength, mainly because of:

• Toxins designed to kill one type of organism, viz. pests, can also kill other, unintended, organisms. For example, pollen from B.t. corn is reported to have killed monarch butterfly caterpillars, a finding that is being contested by industry groups and others
• Pests might become resistant to plants that have been modified for pest-resistance, just as mosquitoes become resistant to DDT
• Genes can be transferred to other species through natural cross-breeding, causing not-so-beneficial results and other problems. For example, weeds might gain herbicide resistance from herbicide resistant crops, making them “super weeds.” GM characteristics might also be passed on to non-GM crops in neighboring fields, resulting in problems for farmers growing non-GM crops

Read more about the issues at ProQuest.