Instant Insights Genetic Modification Of Crops

This specially curated collection features six reviews of current and key research on genetic modification of crops. The first chapter reviews key challenges facing banana production, primarily the risk of species decimation by diseases such as Fusarium wilt, and considers how genetic modification may be a solution to this. The second chapter discusses the development and establishment of 'Golden Rice' - a biofortified variety designed as a health intervention to help alleviate the problem of vitamin A deficiency. The third chapter details recent advances in the genetic modification of important agronomic traits of soybean crops, such as herbicide tolerance and insect resistance. The fourth chapter addresses progress in and prospects for transgenic interventions in the improvement of grain legumes, concentrating on chickpea, pigeonpea, cowpea and more. The fifth chapter reviews recent research efforts in the production of genetically modified (GM) oil palm plants and looks towards establishing stable lines of commercially viable GM varieties. The final chapter describes recent progress relating to transgenic modification of cassava and how future research can strengthen food security and commercialization of the crop. What is an Instant Insight? An Instant Insight gives you immediate access to key research on a topic, allowing you to get right to the heart of a subject in an instant and empowering you to contribute to sustainable agriculture.

Genetically engineered (GE) crops were first introduced commercially in the 1990s. After two decades of production, some groups and individuals remain critical of the technology based on their concerns about possible adverse effects on human health, the environment, and ethical considerations. At the same time, others are concerned that the technology is not reaching its potential to improve human health and the environment because of stringent regulations and reduced public funding to develop products offering more benefits to society. While the debate about these and other questions related to the genetic engineering techniques of the first 20 years goes on, emerging genetic-engineering technologies are adding new complexities to the conversation. Genetically Engineered Crops builds on previous related Academies reports published between 1987 and 2010 by undertaking a retrospective examination of the purported positive and adverse effects of GE crops and to anticipate what emerging genetic-engineering technologies hold for the future. This report indicates where there are uncertainties about the economic, agronomic, health, safety, or other impacts of GE crops and food, and makes recommendations to fill gaps in safety assessments, increase regulatory clarity, and improve innovations in and access to GE technology.

Assists policymakers in evaluating the appropriate scientific methods for detecting unintended changes in food and assessing the potential for adverse health effects from genetically modified products. In this book, the committee recommended that greater scrutiny should be given to foods containing new compounds or unusual amounts of naturally occurring substances, regardless of the method used to create them. The book offers a framework to guide federal agencies in selecting the route of safety assessment. It identifies and recommends several pre- and post-market approaches to guide the assessment of unintended compositional changes that could result from genetically modified foods and research avenues to fill the knowledge gaps.

Reviewing the relevant scientific and technical literature, this work summarizes the current state-of-the-art knowledge related to gene flow and introgression (the permanent incorporation of genetic information from one set of differentiated populations into another) between genetically modified crops and their wild relatives. They analyze the biological framework for protecting the genetic integrity of indigenous wild relatives of crops in centers of crop origin and diversity, focusing on the issues of emission, dispersal, and deposition of pollen and/or seed; the likelihood and extent of gene flow from crops to wild relatives; and stabilization and the spread of traits in wild species. The material is organized into crop chapters, each of which covers general biological information of the crop; the most important crop wild relatives together with information about their ploidy levels, diverse genomes, centers of origin, and geographic distribution; the crop's potential for hybridization with its wild relatives; pollen flow studies related to pollen dispersal distances and hybridization rates; the current state of the genetic modification technology regarding that crop; and research gaps. The crop chapters discuss banana and plantain; barley; canola and oilseed rape; cassava, manioc, and yucca; chickpea; common bean; cotton; cowpea; finger millet; maize and corn; oat; peanut and groundnut; pearl millet; pigeonpea; potato; rice; sorghum; soybean; sweet potato, batata, and camote; and wheat and bread wheat.

Genetic Engineering of Horticultural Crops provides key insights into commercialized crops, their improved productivity, disease and pest resistance, and enhanced nutritional or medicinal benefits. It includes insights into key technologies, such as marker traits identification and genetic traits transfer for increased productivity, examining the latest transgenic advances in a variety of crops and providing foundational information that can be applied to new areas of study. As modern biotechnology has helped to increase crop productivity by introducing novel gene(s) with high quality disease resistance and increased drought tolerance, this is an ideal resource for researchers and industry professionals. Provides examples of current technologies and methodologies, addressing abiotic and biotic stresses, pest resistance and yield improvement Presents protocols on plant genetic engineering in a variety of wide-use crops Includes biosafety rule regulation of genetically modified crops in the USA and third world countries

As development donors invest hundreds of millions of dollars into improved crops designed to alleviate poverty and hunger, Africa has emerged as the final frontier in the global debate over agricultural biotechnology. The first data-driven assessment of the ecological, social, and political factors that shape our understanding of genetic modification, Africa's Gene Revolution surveys twenty years of efforts to use genomics-based breeding to enhance yields and livelihoods for African farmers. Matthew Schnurr considers the full range of biotechnologies currently in commercial use and those in development - including hybrids, marker-assisted breeding, tissue culture, and genetic engineering. Drawing on interviews with biotechnology experts alongside research conducted with more than two hundred farmers across eastern, western, and southern Africa, Schnurr reveals a profound incongruity between the optimistic rhetoric that accompanies genetic modification technology and the realities of the smallholder farmers who are its intended beneficiaries. Through the lens of political ecology, this book demonstrates that the current emphasis on improved seeds discounts the geographic, social, ecological, and economic contexts in which the producers of these crops operate. Bringing the voices of farmers to the foreground of this polarizing debate, Africa's Gene Revolution contends that meaningful change will come from a reconfiguration not only of the plant's genome, but of the entire agricultural system.

” Technology is manmade to address human needs” “Can the world sustain current economic growth?” “Natural Greenhouse Effect warms Earth by 33C” ” Land degradation have been cumulative over time” “World population may reach 1 trillion by 9000 CE” “Earth is subject to all forces imposed by the universe” “Plastic pollution is a very serious environmental issue” “Global water movements spreads pollutants all over world” “Climate changes are due to natural causes and human activities” “The polluted air is not confined by regional or national boundaries” “Effects of technology on the environment can be direct and indirect” “Today’s technologies are collective products of thousands of people” “Prior to 19th century almost all energy used by humans was renewable” “Until 20th century, the knowledge on the environment was severely limited” “Technologies acted as catalyst to change the social settings and structures” “Environmental instrumentation science helps to collect reliable information” “Human use of natural resources raises questions on their future availability” “Overexploitation throughout the history resulted in extinction of many species” “Environmental laws, rules, and regulations may be misinterpreted and misused” “Technology is helping human activities from environmentally harmful practices” “Humans need to learn living within the laws of the nature and the laws of universe” “There are environmental activities in collaborative, cooperative, and good will manner” “Voluntary and noncommercial organization constitute major environmental movements” “Humans can no longer afford to deteriorate the environment and let the carpet slip below their feet”

Instant Notes in Plant Biology covers all aspects of modern plant biology. The scope and depth of this text are suitable for a first and second year undergraduate student of plant biology, including molecular biologists and biotechnologists.