Genetically Modified Crops  By: Tim Bier

Outline  History  Background  Pros  Cons  Economics  Regulations  Questions?

History  1983 – First genetically engineered plant developed, a antibiotic resistant tobacco  1991 – US Dept. of Ag. publishes guidelines for genetically engineered crops  1994 – First genetically engineered tomato, Flavr Savr, is introduced into US markets  1995 – Genetically Engineered soybean, corn, and cotton are approved for commercialization  2000 – Golden rice becomes the first food produced that was genetically modified to increase nutritional value

Background  Genetic Engineering has allowed the exchange of genetic material between living species  A genetically modified organism is an organism whose genome has been altered by addition or subtraction of a specific gene  Inserted genes come from external, unrelated sources

Genetically Engineered Crops  Examples of common genetically modified crops  Alfalfa  Corn  Cotton  Papaya  Rice  Soybeans

Techniques  Agrobacterium  Biolistic Transformation  Electroporation  Microinjection  Antisense Technology

Benefits of Genetically Modified Crops  Increased resistance against pests, herbicides, and diseases  Reduced herbicide and pesticide use (?)

Benefits of Genetically Modified Crops  Higher environmental tolerance  Possibility to increase efficiency of plant food production

Benefits of Genetically Modified Crops  Improve food quality  Increase nutritional content

Cons of Genetically Modified Crops  Emergence of new diseases  Allergens

Cons of Genetically Modified Crops  Resistance  Increased pesticide and herbicide use (?)

Cons of Genetically Modified Crops  Non-GE crops contaminated  Lack of long-term research

Economics

US Regulations  Three agencies are responsible for genetically modified crops  FDA  USDA  EPA  Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA)  Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA)  Genetically modified food labelling is optional in the United States

Worldwide Regulations

Worldwide Labeling

Questions?

References  "Outreach in Biotechnology." genetic engineering. N.p., n.d. Web...  "USDA ERS - Adoption of Genetically Engineered Crops in the U.S.: Recent Trends in GE Adoption." USDA ERS - Adoption of Genetically Engineered Crops in the U.S.: Recent Trends in GE Adoption. N.p., 9 July Web. 13 Apr  "Twenty Years of Modern Agricultural Biotechnology." Twenty Years of Modern Agricultural Biotechnology. N.p., 20 June Web. 14 Apr  ".". N.p., 1 May Web. 14 Apr  "Genetically Modified Foods." The Center for Health and the Global Environment. N.p., n.d. Web...  "." GMO Compass. N.p., n.d. Web...  "A Hard Look at 3 Myths about Genetically Modified Crops." Scientific American Global RSS. N.p., n.d. Web...    "64 countries around the world label GE food." PCC Natural Markets. N.p., n.d. Web...  "The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety." The Biosafety Clearing-House (BCH). N.p., n.d. Web...  "Genetically Modified Crops.". N.p., n.d. Web...  Maghari, Behrokh, and Ali Ardekani. "Abstract." National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 30 Dec Web...