As the world’s population increases the demand for
sustainable and efficient agriculture has grown and many companies are
competing to make ever better genetically modified crops.
Many genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are being
improved in ways that have just been discovered. Older GMOs exist and have for
some time, but the methods used to make the older generation of GMOs had many
limits on what advantaged could be added to crops. Research has found
programmable DNA binding proteins such as ZFP, TALEN, and CRISPR/Cas that allow
for the input of specific DNA sequences in specific spots on chromosomes. These
new techniques allow scientist to create widely improved crops and even add in
totally new attributes that do not belong to those crops.
These newer crops can be changed in ways that were
impossible by the older methods, creating crops that are disease resistant,
protected from pests, and do not require as much sun. These are just three of
many attributes that are closely targeted by scientist. There have also been
some sensational news reports about odd but useful modifications being made in
some places, and not all are related to this research. In Japan watermelons are
being grown in square shaped containers, originally to decrease later shipping
costs of the fruit. These watermelons are now highly prized and sold for more
than regular watermelons because of this new shape. It is possible that the
future holds GMOs created to not only be better for growing but also more
ascetically pleasing.
The advantage to these techniques is that they are
some of the only methods that have real potential to raise food production to
the levels needed to meet demand. Crops will not spoil as fast and are better
in every way than tradition crops, or even older GMOs.
Some of the disadvantages include patent protection
on GMOs by the companies that make them, which are used to artificially
increase seed prices for farmers and stop these great crops from ruining
company profit margins. But while good for the company the prices can have
negative impact on medium sized farms that have a hard time selling their
produce at higher prices. There has also been some concern about lack of
diversity in the crops. The lack of diversity is both in types of crops grown
and the diversity among a single crop. With natural breeding no longer being a
factor crops do not have the range of immunity to diseases that are seen in the
wild nor the lucky mutations that prove advantageous in the face of adversity. As
certain crops are more heavily modified and profitable than others the
diversity of what is grown to meet the food supply will decrease. We have
already seen evidence of this by the decreasing numbers of apple varieties
available at super markets. Having diverse food sources helps grow food
security since it is unlikely that that any one mishap will be able to ruin
every type of crop. Decreased diversity will allow one type of mold, bacteria,
or natural disaster to disproportionally affect the food supply if there are only
a few types of crops being grown.
Let me know what you think about GMO’s. Are they
good, great, or horrible for the future? Are the conspiracy theorists right
about them being unhealthy?
Precision genetic modifications: a new era in
molecular biology and crop improvement
By: Franziska Fichtner, Reynel Urrea Castellanos, Bekir
Ülker
DOI 10.1007/s00425-014-2029-y
I think this would be a good idea to continue research on. This could possibly allow crops to grow in places that they arent normally found and help places that are in desperate need for food. Maybe one day they could modify them to be even more beneficial to us or maybe so that we dont have to eat as much of the foods to benefit from them.
ReplyDeleteGMOs certainly have potential and would have many benefits. However, a question to consider is the ecological impact these new crops have in different places. If these crops grow better than the natural flora it could have a major impact on the wildlife in these areas. Another issue is the fact that many of these seeds are patented by companies. Sometimes these seeds accidentally end up is the fields of smaller scale farms next to farm own by large corporations. When this happens, that company can accuse these farmers of theft and sue them. I have no problems with the idea of
ReplyDeleteGMOS, but there are certain issues that do need to be addressed to protect the environment and small scale farms.
I think that GMO's definitely have a lot of advantages. The changes that are made can allow farmers to grow their crops more easily. As you know, many people believe that GMO's are bad for you. So my question is, how do you think these companies will overcome the fear that the public has of GMO's so their product will sell?
ReplyDeleteWith the lack of diversity in many crops, genetically modifying the plant could be the only way to save them from diseases. One such crop, the Cavendish banana, is highly cultivated, but if a disease begins to affect the plant, it could rapidly spread making it an unviable largescale crop, meaning no more the bananas we are most familiar with.
ReplyDeleteI am in total support of GMOs. This is a great idea, but it would be really hard to convince some of the public that this is safe. I am curious how scientists might persuade people against GMOs that this is safe, because if they already think GMOs we have now are unsafe they would likely believe the same about these.
ReplyDeleteAn interesting article on historical availability of apple varieties in N. America:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.bbg.org/gardening/article/the_apple_in_north_america
It seems like the decrease likely has much more to do with mass production than genetic modification, in that upscale largely took place at the beginning of the 20th century. I think if anything, GMO tech will result in resurgence of variety in apple cultivars...anecdotally there are so many more available year round than there were when I was a kid (seriously, there were three kinds of apples you could buy. Three. And none of them were as good as a honeycrisp, pink lady, or jazz).