What is it?
- Conventional plant breeding involves crossing species of the same genus to provide the offspring with the desired traits of both parents.
- Genetic engineering aims to transcend the genus barrier by introducing an alien gene in the seeds to get the desired effects.
- E.g., Bt cotton has two alien genes from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt).
- Crops produced using genetic engineering are called Genetically Modified Crops.
Benefits
- Improves production and raises farmer’s income;
- Can feed a rapidly increasing population as it shows increased yields
- Ensures the production of more nutritious food
- Disease- and drought-resistant plants that require fewer environmental resources (such as water and fertilizer)
- Food with more desirable traits.
Concerns over GM Crops
- Imposes high risks to the disruption of ecosystem and biodiversity
- This leads to creation of foods that can cause an allergic or toxic reaction
- Increases the cost of cultivation as farmers have to rely on companies for the seeds
- Inadvertent transfer of genes from one GM plant or animal to another plant or animal might lead to unintended genetic modification harmful to the ecosystem.
Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC)
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