Reproductive Technologies in Agriculture Page 93-96

Selective Breeding p93 Selective breeding is the practice of choosing which two plants or animals to breed based on their desirable characteristics.

Artificial Vegetative Reproduction Cutting: Growers and take cuttings from plants with desirable characteristics to grow a new plant. Grafting: attaching a branch rom a desirable tree onto the trnk of another tree that may have excellent roots but poor fruit. Grafting French grape vines onto American roots saved the industry from blight.

Artificial Insemination and In Vitro Fertilization A veterinarian collects sperm from a male animal and inserts it into a female animal of the same species. Used extensively in agriculture to breed domestic animals (most dairy cows are conceived tis way) Also used in zoos to maintain or increase the population of endangered species Sperm can be frozen and transported to far away females.

Video on selective breeding cows: https://www. youtube. com/watch

Fish Hatcheries Male and female fish are caught just before they reproduce. Eggs and sperm are collected and mixed Fertilized eggs are then incubated in trays until they hatch Young are fed and then released when big enough Ensures higher rate of survival in wild fish populations

Recombinant DNA Recombinant DNA technology involves combining genes from different individuals or different species into a single molecule of DNA. A piece of DNA containing a gene of interest (eg. One that codes for insulin) can be inserted into a bacterium. When the bacterium reproduces, the insulin gene also is replicated, the insulin can then be collected

Genetic Engineering GMO (genetically modified organism) is a plant or animal that has had its genes altered. Technique used to make crops that are resistant to pests, drought, disease, etc Ethical concerns: Companies like Monsanto hold patent on the seeds they genetically modify. If pollen from these crops blow into a neighbouring farmer’s field, that farm may get sued for accidentally growing the patented crop. GMO’s could pass their DNA to wild populations Risk to humans that consume them? Many GMOs contain genes from a completely different species (pigs containing human DNA). 90% of world’s corn is genetically modified