Advantages and Disadvantages of Genetically Modified Crops
ABSTRACT
Biotechnology in the form of genetic engineering lends a variety of potential benefits as well as risks. It has improved the production of food by making plants tolerant or resistant to drought, frost, insects and viruses and also helped plants to compete more effectively against weeds for soil nutrients. The use of genetic engineering however has raised concerns about its potential risks to human life and the environment. The yield, the use of nutritive substances and resistance to diseases can be improved on the contrary the negative effects of genetic engineering on plants should be considered. What does genetic engineering entail? Why is genetic engineering used on plants? When was the first known act of genetic engineering on plants carried out? What are the possible side effects of genetic engineering on plants? What are the benefits associated with genetic engineering on plants? The cautious approach to the use of genetically modified crops that reckons on inclusive liability could allow consumers to reap great benefits from genetically modified crops while mitigating their serious risks.
I. Introduction
The comparing and contrasting of the benefits and side effects of genetic engineering in plants is a prominent topic today. Biotechnology and the process of genetic engineering in plants has emerged and advanced throughout the planet in recent times. The introduction of genetically modified foods into food supplies has had varying degrees of success country by country. The mixed feelings that surround genetically modified foods are due to the rampant debate surrounding the technology of genetic engineering. The first genetically modified plant had produced in 1982, using an antibiotic-resistant tobacco plant (6). The first field trials of genetically engineered plants occurred in France and the USA in 1986, when tobacco plants were engineered to be resistant to herbicides (6). Research on genetic engineering in plants is very relevant today
Biotechnology in the form of genetic engineering lends a variety of potential benefits as well as risks. It has improved the production of food by making plants tolerant or resistant to drought, frost, insects and viruses and also helped plants to compete more effectively against weeds for soil nutrients. The use of genetic engineering however has raised concerns about its potential risks to human life and the environment. The yield, the use of nutritive substances and resistance to diseases can be improved on the contrary the negative effects of genetic engineering on plants should be considered. What does genetic engineering entail? Why is genetic engineering used on plants? When was the first known act of genetic engineering on plants carried out? What are the possible side effects of genetic engineering on plants? What are the benefits associated with genetic engineering on plants? The cautious approach to the use of genetically modified crops that reckons on inclusive liability could allow consumers to reap great benefits from genetically modified crops while mitigating their serious risks.
I. Introduction
The comparing and contrasting of the benefits and side effects of genetic engineering in plants is a prominent topic today. Biotechnology and the process of genetic engineering in plants has emerged and advanced throughout the planet in recent times. The introduction of genetically modified foods into food supplies has had varying degrees of success country by country. The mixed feelings that surround genetically modified foods are due to the rampant debate surrounding the technology of genetic engineering. The first genetically modified plant had produced in 1982, using an antibiotic-resistant tobacco plant (6). The first field trials of genetically engineered plants occurred in France and the USA in 1986, when tobacco plants were engineered to be resistant to herbicides (6). Research on genetic engineering in plants is very relevant today
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