Genetically Modified Crops

Herbicide and insecticide difference on food crops is a very important moment for consumers and a reduction in the amount or potency of these chemicals would be beneficial. The author estimates the current annual US drop of pesticides at 971 million pounds. The primary goal of GM crops is to adulterate the need for pesticides. GM plants can be separated into twain broad categories: herbicide yucky (74% of GM plants) and insect resistant (19% of GM plants) (James, 2000). Assessing the environmental benefits of using GM crops is difficult collect to a lack of peer-reviewed studies on this issue. Research is needed to appraise this important factor since the environmental benefits will probably digress depending on the GM plant grown and location (Brown, 2001).

Although, the environmental benefits of GM crops may be in coach, farmers see a direct benefit by reducing the frequency and complexity of pesticide spraying, and in any case sometimes increasing crop yield. A few studies from the US Department of Agriculture indicate the major benefit of herbicide-tolerate GM crops is the use of mor

Insect-resistant GM crops atomic number 18 produced by inserting a ingredient from the soil bacterium vitamin B complex thuringiensis (Bt). This gene makes a crystalline protein toxic to some insects (e.g.

, caterpillars and beetles), provided harmless to others.

Another concern is the potential flow of genes by cross-pollination between GM plants and wild "weedy" relatives, which would produce "superweeds" let go of from pests and herbicides. Scientists already acknowledge that this will occur. The debate is over the resulting consequences of gene transfer (Brown, 2001).

Crawley, et al., 2001, Transgenic Crops in Natural Habitats, Nature, 409, 682-683.

Dr. Allison Power, from Cornell, has shown that gene flow from virus-resistant GM plants offers some reason for concern. Power's laboratory work has shown that wild oats, a close relative of cultivated oats, can obtain justification to the barley yellow dwarf virus. This could have the potential of do wild oats to out compete the wild grasses (Brown, 2001).

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