A GM or transgenic crop is a plant that has a novel combination of genetic material obtained through the use of modern biotechnology.
For example, a GM crop can contain a gene(s) that has been artificially inserted instead of the plant acquiring it through pollination.
The resulting plant is said to be “genetically modified” although in reality all crops have been “genetically modified” from their original wild state by domestication, selection, and controlled breeding over long periods of time.
Traditionally, a plant breeder tries to exchange genes between two plants to produce offspring that have desired traits. This is done by transferring the male (pollen) of one plant to the female organ of another.
This cross breeding, however, is limited to exchanges between the same or very closely related species. It can also take a long time to achieve desired results and frequently, characteristics of interest do not exist in any related species.
GM technology enables plant breeders to bring together in one plant useful genes from a wide range of living sources, not just from within the crop species or from closely related plants. This powerful tool allows plant breeders to do faster what they have been doing for years – generate superior plant varieties – although it expands the possibilities beyond the limits imposed by conventional plant breeding.
Half of the US farms growing corn to sell to the conglomerate, Monsanto, are growing GMO corn. Most of this corn is going to be used for human consumption. Genetically modified corn has been linked to health problems, including weight gain and organ disruption.
Genetically modified papaya trees have been grown in Hawaii since 1999. These Papayas are sold in the United States and Canada for human consumption. These papayas have been modified to be naturally resistant to Papaya Ringspot virus, and also to delay the maturity of the fruit. Delaying maturity gives suppliers more time to ship the fruit to supermarkets.
What are the potential risks of GM Crops?
1- The danger of unintentionally introducing allergens and other antinutrition factors in foods
2- The likelihood of transgenes escaping from cultivated crops into wild relatives
3-The potential for pests to evolve resistance to the toxins produced by GM crops
4-The risk of these toxins affecting nontarget organisms.
Transgenic plants are plants that have been genetically engineered, a breeding approach that uses recombinant DNA techniques to create plants with new characteristics.They are identified as a class of genetically modified organism (GMO).
My view- I think that these type of crops are good and bad for us. The good points is that is increases productivity. The bad point is that is cause a lot of diseases and allergies. So we cant say any thing about this.
[ Look up the websites below to understand this concept in better way]
http://www.isaaa.org/resources/publications/pocketk/1/
https://www.sciencedaily.com/terms/transgenic_plants.htm
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