GM Crops 04/12/12 Miss Radford what are GM crops and how are they useful? WAL: All Most Some Can you define the term “genetically modified”? Can you describe some genetic modifications made to crops? Can you explain how genetically modifying crops can be useful? STARTER QUESTION – full sentences “What is genetic engineering and what is a GMO?” STARTER QUESTION – full sentences “What is genetic engineering and what is a GMO?”

What is “Genetic Engineering”? Genetic engineering is the deliberate modification (changing) of an organism’s genes. GE = Genetic engineering GM = Genetically modified (organisms which have been genetically engineered) GMO = Genetically modified organism

Today we are covering from the specification:

What would be some beneficial modifications to make to these crops?

To Do: Read through the information on the posters which have been places around the room. Fill in each of the columns for each of the crops on the posters. 15 minutes

Fill in the table using the information from the posters Crop nameWhere is it grown?What modifications are made? How are these modifications useful?

GM soya beans Click on the picture to find out more – Resistant to weedkiller. – 77% of all soya grown in the world is GM.

GM maize – Resistant to a pest, the corn borer. – 80% of the maize grown in the US is GM. – GM maize is now grown in Spain, Portugal, the Czech Republic and Germany. The gene from algae has been put into another variety of corn to provide the ‘fish oils’ humans need for brain development. Click on the picture to find out more

GM golden rice Golden rice contains vitamin A and can be a way of providing enough of this vitamin to children in developing countries at no extra cost. (White rice contains no vitamin A.) Click on the picture to find out more

GM cotton – Resistant to pests. – Cotton fibres are used for textiles and the seeds provide oil and protein for animal feed and oil for margarine. – GM cotton has a gene from a bacterium. The gene codes for a toxin that kills the pests. – Most GM cotton is grown in India and the US but some is grown in other parts of the world. Click on the picture to find out more

GM tomatoes, potatoes, squash, papaya – Resistant to pests and so fewer chemicals have to be used. – Tomatoes have a longer shelf life as ripening is delayed. This means the fruits can be ripened on the plants before being picked, giving them more flavour. Click on the picture to find out more

GM bananas – Resistant to pests. – GM bananas contain more zinc, an important mineral which can be lacking in a diet which contains little meat, such as in some African countries. Click on the picture to find out more

Exam-style questions Use full sentences! 1.What are cotton fibres used for? 2.What are some of the objections to GM crops? (Hint: use page 74). 3.How is golden rice seen as “better” than white rice? 4.Why might GM corn which contains fish oils be important in the future? 5.Would you eat a GM tomato? Use scientific language to justify your argument. 6.Using some of the points on page 74, write a balanced argument for and against GM crops. 25 minutes C B A A*

Genetically Modified Crops Right Wrong or