Genetically Modified Crops

By: Tim Bier

Outline

History

Background

Pros

Cons

Economics

Regulations

Questions?

History

1983 – First genetically engineered plant developed, a antibiotic resistant tobacco

1991 – US Dept. of Ag. publishes guidelines for genetically engineered crops

1994 – First genetically engineered tomato, Flavr Savr, is introduced into US markets

1995 – Genetically Engineered soybean, corn, and cotton are approved for commercialization

2000 – Golden rice becomes the first food produced that was genetically modified to increase nutritional value

Background

Genetic Engineering has allowed the exchange of genetic material between living species

A genetically modified organism is an organism whose genome has been altered by addition or subtraction of a specific gene

Inserted genes come from external, unrelated sources

Genetically Engineered Crops

Examples of common genetically modified crops

Alfalfa

Corn

Cotton

Papaya

Rice

Soybeans

Techniques

Agrobacterium

Biolistic Transformation

Electroporation

Microinjection

Antisense Technology

Benefits of Genetically Modified Crops

Increased resistance against pests, herbicides, and diseases

Reduced herbicide and pesticide use (?)

Benefits of Genetically Modified Crops

Higher environmental tolerance

Possibility to increase efficiency of plant food production

Benefits of Genetically Modified Crops

Improve food quality

Increase nutritional content

Cons of Genetically Modified Crops

Emergence of new diseases

Allergens

Cons of Genetically Modified Crops

Resistance

Increased pesticide and herbicide use (?)

Cons of Genetically Modified Crops

Non-GE crops contaminated

Lack of long-term research

Economics

US Regulations

Three agencies are responsible for genetically modified crops

FDA

USDA

EPA

Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA)

Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA)

Genetically modified food labelling is optional in the United States

Worldwide Regulations

Worldwide Labeling

Questions?

References "Outreach in Biotechnology." genetic engineering. N.p., n.d. Web. . <http://oregonstate.edu/orb/terms/genetic-engineering>.

"USDA ERS - Adoption of Genetically Engineered Crops in the U.S.: Recent Trends in GE Adoption." USDA ERS - Adoption of Genetically Engineered Crops in the U.S.: Recent Trends in GE Adoption. N.p., 9 July 2013. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. <http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/adoption-of-genetically-engineered-crops-in-the-us/recent-trends-in-ge-adoption.aspx>.

"Twenty Years of Modern Agricultural Biotechnology." Twenty Years of Modern Agricultural Biotechnology. N.p., 20 June 2003. Web. 14 Apr. 2014. <http://www.fbae.org/2009/FBAE/website/special-topics_twenty_years_of_modern_agriculture.html>.

"." . N.p., 1 May 0212. Web. 14 Apr. 2014. <http://www.vrp.co.za/Public/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleID=280>.

"Genetically Modified Foods." The Center for Health and the Global Environment. N.p., n.d. Web. . <http://chge.med.harvard.edu/topic/genetically-modified-foods>.

"." GMO Compass. N.p., n.d. Web. . <http://www.gmo-compass.org/eng/safety/human_health/>.

"A Hard Look at 3 Myths about Genetically Modified Crops." Scientific American Global RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. . <http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-hard-look-at-3-myths-about-genetically-modified-crops/>.

http://www.grassandsons.com/about_us.htm

www.epa.gov, www.usda.gov, www.fda.gov

"64 countries around the world label GE food." PCC Natural Markets. N.p., n.d. Web. . <http://www.pccnaturalmarkets.com/sc/1305/countries_label_ge.html>.

"The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety." The Biosafety Clearing-House (BCH). N.p., n.d. Web. . <http://bch.cbd.int/protocol/>.

"Genetically Modified Crops." . N.p., n.d. Web. . <http://www.fao.org/docrep/015/i2490e/i2490e04d.pdf>.

Maghari, Behrokh, and Ali Ardekani. "Abstract." National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 30 Dec. 2011. Web. . <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3558185/>.