GM Crops

Within 35 years (2049) the global population will reach an estimated nine billion people. This presents a massive challenge to agriculture: how do we feed all of these people with nutritious food sustainably?

Most of us have seen spiderman. In that movie a Grad student (also a frequent victim of bullying) on his trip, is bitten by a spider, and that spider bite causes a sudden biological change which increases toby’s physical and mental ability.

What that spider bite did to Peter Parker was a genetic mutation that changed the genetic code of his body thus making him a spider man with supernatural powers (No more bullying :p) and hence putting him in the category of superheroes and simultaneously giving us an awesome childhood movie.

So how did he got this much power with just a bite?

Well, our genes are a complex strings of proteins that give us the characteristics ranging from height, eye color, hair color, skin color hair thickness, etc.

Just a minute change in genes can give you the best of the physical characteristics.

Well, the solution is spiderman of crops called GM Crops.

“Genetic modification” or “genetically modified” short for GM, involves altering the genes of an organism, be it a plant, an animal, or microorganism.

This can be done by:

1.Altering an existing section of DNA

2.Inserting a gene from another organism.

When a scientist performs genetic modification to a plant, they insert a foreign gene (called transgene) in the plant’s DNA sequence. This could be introduced from one plant to another plant,from a plant to an animal, or from a microorganism to a plant.

An organism that undergoes genetic engineering is considered to be a genetically modified organism (GMO).

Genetic engineering can be applied to any organism, from a virus to a sheep.

Bacteria and GM mice were the first GMOs generated in 1973 and 1974 respectively.

In 1982, insulin-producing bacteria were the first to be commercialized ,and genetically modified food is been sold since 1994.

Altering genes

Apart from genetic modification, there are other ways to alter genes.

Chemicals, radiation, spontaneous changes and traditional processing can also alter the characteristics of an organism without targeting a specific gene.

Spontaneous alteration, most of the time has little-to-no effect on the genes and takes place naturally and is non-specific.

It is not a reliable method if the intention is to bring about changes in a particular characteristic.

It can lead to the development of both positive as well as negative characteristics.

How does genetic modification work?

DNA Extraction

An organism carrying the desired trait is identified.

The specific gene responsible for the desired trait is located and cut out of the plant’s DNA.

Gene cloning

The gene needs to be attached to the carrier to get the ‘desired gene’ into the cells of the plant being modified.

A bacterial piece of DNA called the ‘plasmid’ is joined to the gene to act as a carrier.

To ensure that the gene works properly when it is put into the modified gene, a type of switch called a ‘promoter’ is also combined with the gene and the carrier.

Often, the carrier package also includes a ‘selectable marker gene’ to identify the ‘transformants’, i.e. the plant cells that have taken up the new gene against the non-transformants.

Transformation

After transformants are picked, they have to be inserted into the bacterium. It is a proper host that will generate multiple copies of the gene package.

For modification of plants, the gene packages are transferred in either of two ways:

By attaching the gene packages to tiny particles of gold or tungsten and bombard them at high speed into the plant tissue.

Gold or tungsten is preferred over others as they’re chemically inert, that is, they aren’t reactive with their surroundings.

Another way is by using Agrobacterium tumefaciens, a soil bacterium used to infect the plant tissue with the desired gene.

Adoption of Biotech Crops across the world

The top five biotech crop growing countries, in decreasing order of the area under biotech crops, are the USA, Brazil, Argentina, Canada, and India.

These top five countries (USA, Brazil, Argentina, Canada, and India) planted 91.3% of the global biotech crop area of 189.8 million hectares.

The four major biotech crops — soybeans, maize, cotton, and canola — in decreasing area, were the most adopted biotech crops.

Biotech crops can contribute to food security, sustainability, and climate change by:

1)Increasing crop productivity.

2)Conserving biodiversity by saving millions of land and reducing the use of chemicals.

3)Reducing CO2 emissions

4)Helping alleviate poverty by uplifting the economic situation.

Crops can be genetically modified to contain additional nutrients that are lacking from many people’s diets in developing countries. One example is Golden Rice, which has been modified to have enhanced levels of ß-carotene, to help to prevent vitamin A deficiency.

Plants could be genetically modified to produce vaccines or other medicines. Potatoes have been modified to produce edible vaccines against E. coli bacteria which cause diarrhea

Crops that can withstand environmental stresses can also be produced.

GM Crops in India

The approval of any new genetically modified crop is given on a case-to-case basis after a thorough scientific evaluation of health and environment safety as per applicable guidelines made under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 and Rules, 1989.

The top five biotech crop growing States in India, in decreasing order of the area under Biotech crops, are Maharashtra, Gujarat, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Haryana.

Bt Cotton

Bt cotton has been genetically modified by the insertion of one or more genes from a common soil bacterium.

Bt cotton occupies greater than 95% of India’s cotton acreage.

While Bt cotton wholly dominates India’s GM crop acreage — this is not the case with major countries.

For example, Brazil has millions of hectares under crops such as soybean, maize, and cotton.

Bt cotton is the only GM crop approved for commercial cultivation in the Country.

GM Mustard

Transgenic mustard has been developed by the University of Delhi’s Centre for Genetic Manipulation of Crop Plants (CGMCP).

If approved, GM mustard would be the first transgenic food crop to be allowed for commercial cultivation in India.

Bt cotton was modified to produce an insecticide that could kill any invading pest, that’s not the case with GM mustard wherein modification has been effected to simplify the breeding process.

It uses a system of genes from a soil bacterium that makes mustard –a self-pollinating plant, to better adapt it to hybridization than the current Indian gene pool.

Bt brinjal

Brinjal has been genetically modified by inserting a protein gene from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis to give protection against certain pests especially the fruit and shoot borer (FSB).

Brinjal is prone to attack from insect pests and diseases, the most serious and destructive of which is the fruit and shoot borer (FSB) Leucinodes orbonalis.

FSB feeds predominantly on brinjal and is prevalent in all brinjal-producing states.

Bt brinjal has been developed in India by Maharashtra-based seed company Mahyco.

It was on the verge of becoming India’s first GM food crop, when the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) cleared it for commercialization in 2009, before doubts about the long-term impact on consumer health and plant biodiversity led then-Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh to slap an indefinite moratorium on the crop.

If found safe, GM mustard has much to offer. India is hugely deficient in edible oils; over 60 percent of its requirement is imported. It is claimed that GM mustard has yields that are 25–30 percent higher than the best current varieties, which will help close the demand-supply gap.

Brinjal

India is the second-largest producer of Brinjal after China.

Being a hardy crop that yields well even under drought conditions, Brinjal is grown in almost all parts of the country.

Major brinjal producing states include West Bengal (30% production share), Orissa (20%), and Gujarat and Bihar (around 10% each).

‘Matti or Mattu Gulla’ from Karnataka has been awarded a geographical indication (GI) tag. It is a type of brinjal, rich in iron.

However, there are still concerns as to the safety of GM crops for human consumption and the environment. In this review, I explore the need for GM crops, the way they are produced, and their impact and safety.

The future is very promising for GM technologies to meet the future global needs for food feed and fiber sustainably and responsibly. GM crops are only one part of the solution. To meet the targeted yields, nutritional quality, and sustainable production, we need all of the tools at our disposal including conventional and organic food production systems.

This is just the starting of some great leap which we would be taking in decades to come

Humans have always proved themselves and I believe our scientists will give us a better new world with no food deficiency even in centuries to come.

Team Human +1

Peace