Transgenic Plants

A transgenic organism is the term used to refer to a type of genetically modified organism, whose genetic material is manipulated to produce an altered organism with the desired trait. To achieve this purpose, genetic material or DNA of an organism is injected into the nucleus of the reproductive cell of another organism of the same or different species, with an aim to produce or transfer a desirable trait. This technique of creating transgenic organisms is called recombinant DNA technology. In other words, transgenic organisms are organisms with a single gene or genes, transferred from another organism of the same or different species in the laboratory with the help of the recombinant DNA technology. The technique can be carried out both in plants and animals to create such plants and animals.

Genetically Modified Plants

They are created by inserting genetic material from a different species with the help of the genetic engineering technique, in order to produce plants with some special characteristics. Genes from a different species can be introduced into a particular plant in various ways. Usually, it is easier to produce such plants, as compared to transgenic animals. In plants, there is no difference between somatic and germ cells and hence, genes can be introduced into the somatic cells and tissues, to produce transgenic plants.

In earlier times, new plant varieties containing the genes of two species were created through hybridization or cross breeding. However, such breeding was carried out between two related species. But, modern biotechnology and genetic engineering incorporates genetic material from not only related, but also from unrelated species, in order to create transgenic and genetically modified plants. Bt corn, Bt cotton and golden rice are some of the common examples of plants created in this way.

Good or Bad?

Production of transgenic plants and introduction of foreign genetic material is a highly debatable issue. A number of benefits, as well as risks of generating such plants have been highlighted by scientific studies. One of the main benefits of such plants and crops is the incorporation of some highly desirable traits like, resistance to certain diseases, pests and herbicides. This in turn can increase crop yield to meet the rising demand for foods. Another advantage is that, with the help of genetic engineering, it is very much possible to produce plants that can tolerate harsh environmental conditions like drought and cold. Even the soil laden with high amount of salt can be made cultivable by producing genetically modified plants that can grow in saline soil.

All the above mentioned advantages can ultimately be a boon to the agricultural sector. With the growing concern about the environmental impacts of large-scale use of insecticides and pesticides, it is very important to reduce the use of such chemicals. Transgenic plants resistant to pesticides can play an important role in reducing the use of these chemicals. Plant varieties resistant to herbicide can reduce the adverse effects of herbicides, while development of transgenic plants resistant to insects can help to cut down the total amount of insecticides used. This in turn can improve environmental quality. Apart from these, some plants can produce higher level of certain crucial nutrients, which can improve the nutritional quality of the foods.

Despite all these advantages, development of genetically modified or altered plants is largely criticized, mainly due to the fact that these plants can have an adverse impact on the natural environment, ecosystem and biodiversity. Many have also expressed a fear that the genetic material of such plants can transfer to the non genetically modified plant varieties. Though such plants are resistant to herbicides, the same quality, if transferred to the weeds can make weed control quite hard. Besides these, some transgenic foods, developed for animals have been found to trigger allergic reactions in some individuals. However, no such incidence of severe allergies has been reported in case of the foods manufactured for human consumption.

Another issue raised by the critics, these plants can release antibiotic resistant genes in the soil, which can make the soil microorganisms resistant to antibiotics. Apart from these, laboratory studies have suggested that introduction of these plants can affect other organisms. As for example, pollen of Bt corn can adversely affect the larvae of monarch butterflies and moths, if they feed on the leaves of milkweed plant, coated with pollen of Bt corn. However, proponents of the transgenic and genetically modified plants have refuted this allegation, and claimed that the pollen of Bt corn on milkweed leaves may not reach a highly concentrated level, to produce such adverse reactions.

The risks that these plants expose to human health and ecosystem is a controversial issue. Hence, more concrete studies and researches are required in order to resolve the controversies associated with them, so that consumers can find out the truth about such plants and genetically modified foods. Apart from these, many ethical considerations are also associated with transgenesis, which also needs to be addressed properly.