Basic Knowledge in Agriculture #99
Explain in detail the term "Genetic Modefication"
What is GMO? GMO or genetically engineered organism is an organism whose genome has been modified using genetic engineering. The techniques of genetic engineering directly introduce, eliminate, or alter a genome, using various methods that overcome the natural reproductive process.
Making GMOs Researchers choose an organism, for example a plant or animal, and a trait, for example drought resistant or pest resistant, using advanced biotechnologies, such as recombinant DNA technology or gene.
Explain the importance of Genetic Modification in Agriculture?
Genetic Modification is essential in world food security, stress and productivity today. Some of the key benefits of:
Increased Pest and Disease Resistance: Genetically modified crops that contain natural pest resistance -for example; Bt Cotton and Bt* Maize produce pest-resistant proteins that combat certain damaging insects, making pesticides obsolete. This reduction of chemical pesticides will significantly decrease farmer input costs, and will be less harmful to the environment.
*Improved Climate Resilience GM crops have the ability to grow in harsh weather conditions – such as major droughts, soil salinity, extreme temperatures and floods – thereby increasing the overall stability of crop production.
- Nutritional values enhanced: Plants can be bio-fortified with vital nutrients to combat malnutrition, e.g. Golden Rice, which has been transformed to make beta carotene, i.e. vitamin A, to prevent blindness and deficiency in populations which derive their food primarily from staple grains.
Increased Production and Land Conservation: GE plants can be designed to produce higher yields than their traditional counterparts and also require less land and chemical inputs. This means more food can be produced on less land.
Longer Shelf Life: Characteristics that retard rot in the field after harvest extend crop freshness during shipment, and, thus, prolong the amount of time it remains edible.
Thanks for reading my post I'm inviting @bela90, @pea07 and @rad-austine.