The benefits and risks of the scientific method of genetically modifying crop species
Since the emergence of agriculture over 10,000 years ago, humans have been altering the genomes of the crops they produce in order to increase the crop quality in many ways, with fruit size and palatability being two obvious examples. Whether this occurred incidentally through the techniques used to cultivate the plants or intentionally through artificial selection, humans have created strains of domesticated plants that, through the exaggeration of already present traits, have become grossly distinct from their wild ancestors and relatives.
More modern techniques of plant breeding offered the ability to introduce new traits to a crop by crossing individuals with members of other species, increasing the extent of potential variation in parental lines. Through recombination the genes that confer a desired trait can be carried by an F1 hybrid for the introduction to the crop species by successive rounds of back-crossing. For example, Triticale, a now widely used animal feed, is the result of a forced cross made to create a crop with the hardiness of rye and the yield potential of wheat. The ability to rescue an embryo from abortion and culture it until germination introduced an even greater extent of …show more content…
This is especially true for technologies that affect our food supply. It is important when evaluating the threat of such risks to distinguish the difference between actual potential risks and scare-stories spread by misinformation, misinterpretation, or sensationalism. As such, in my summary of the benefits and risks of genetically modifying crop species I will ignore those risks and worries that have been proven to be
Since the emergence of agriculture over 10,000 years ago, humans have been altering the genomes of the crops they produce in order to increase the crop quality in many ways, with fruit size and palatability being two obvious examples. Whether this occurred incidentally through the techniques used to cultivate the plants or intentionally through artificial selection, humans have created strains of domesticated plants that, through the exaggeration of already present traits, have become grossly distinct from their wild ancestors and relatives.
More modern techniques of plant breeding offered the ability to introduce new traits to a crop by crossing individuals with members of other species, increasing the extent of potential variation in parental lines. Through recombination the genes that confer a desired trait can be carried by an F1 hybrid for the introduction to the crop species by successive rounds of back-crossing. For example, Triticale, a now widely used animal feed, is the result of a forced cross made to create a crop with the hardiness of rye and the yield potential of wheat. The ability to rescue an embryo from abortion and culture it until germination introduced an even greater extent of …show more content…
This is especially true for technologies that affect our food supply. It is important when evaluating the threat of such risks to distinguish the difference between actual potential risks and scare-stories spread by misinformation, misinterpretation, or sensationalism. As such, in my summary of the benefits and risks of genetically modifying crop species I will ignore those risks and worries that have been proven to be