Agrcultural Biotechnology
Genetic Mutatuions in Crops
What is Agricultural Biotechnology?
Pros of Genetically Modifying Crops
- Prevents various diseases
- Adds more nutrition to the crop
- Can survive more harsh environments
- Improved taste
- Faster Growth
- Pest resistance
Cons of Genetically Modifying Crops
- Costs more
- Massive amounts of funding
- Creation of super weeds
- Farmers in third world countries may not be able to afford genetically modified seeds.
- Unknown effects on human health
Genetically Modified Foods
Seedless Watermelon
Medicinal Potatoes
Golden Rice
Techniques of Agricultural Biotechnology
- One way to transfer a desired gene is to inject the DNA into a plant cell. Then, create an entirely new plant from tissue.
- Another way is to use a soil bacterium to transfer DNA into the plants.
- The last way is to use a gene gun to shoot through the cell wall and combine the DNA with the plants DNA.
The Gene Gun
Recent News
- Genetically modified foods are allowed to be sold in the U.S. right now.
- Most of the states are now deciding whether or not to pass a bill that would force products that are genetically modified to be labeled as such.
- Maine and Connecticut have been the only 2 states to pass the law requiring GMOs to be labeled, but their acts go into place when other countries join them.
- This issue is costly for states to debate, and there is no clear winning side yet.
- Some companies have taken the issue into their own hands and pledged not to use GMOs
The beginning
References
Agricultural Biotechnology. (2003). In R. Robinson (Ed.), Genetics. New York: Macmillan Reference USA. Retrieved from http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/scic/ReferenceDetailsPage/ReferenceDetailsWindow?failOverType=&query=&prodId=SCIC&windowstate=normal&contentModules=&mode=view&displayGroupName=Reference&dviSelectedPage=&limiter=&currPage=&disableHighlighting=&displayGroups=&sortBy=&zid=&search_within_results=&p=SCIC&action=e&catId=&activityType=&scanId=&documentId=GALE%7CCV2642650004&source=Bookmark&u=nape29724&jsid=773713b11175d3995a6e7b04f5ac644c
Transformation 2 - Transformation Methods. (n.d.). Retrieved March 14, 2014, from http://passel.unl.edu/pages/informationmodule.php?idinformationmodule=958077244&topicorder=3&maxto=7Feature, W. (n.d.). Genetically Modified Foods (Biotech Foods) Pros and Cons. Retrieved March 17, 2014, from http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/are-biotech-foods-safe-to-eat
Genetically Modified Foods: Harmful or Helpful? (n.d.). Retrieved March 17, 2014, from http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/gmfood/overview.php