ARTICLE: GMOs: Road to sustainable agriculture

The following is an excerpt of a post on Medium.com by Eshna Gogia about how GMOs can help promote sustainable agriculture. 

GMO’s role in the agricultural industry has been an age-old debate and we haven’t been able to make much out of it. But, the masses remain unaware of what a GM plant is, what are its applications or what are the advantages and disadvantages of the technology. So let’s begin with a small introduction.

All crops are genetically modified. We have been consuming them since humans started agriculture. Moreover, here’s the extent of genetic engineering present in our lives.

GM vs Non-GM Crop

The only difference between a GM and Non-GM crop lies in the gene transfer technology used to create them. Both the methods involve changes in the DNA sequence or the order of genes. GM crops contain small and specific changes. But, the Non-GM crops contain thousands of uncharacterized genes.

The conventional breeding method involves mixing of both desirable and undesirable genes. The genes are then rearranged randomly in the genome of the offspring. Some genes are often lost in the offspring with this method of breeding. It is a long process taking up to 15 years to finally get a new variety of crop.

A genetically modified species is created using recombinant DNA technology. In other words, DNA molecules of different species are joined together and it is then put into a host organism to either express a gene that doesn’t belong to the plant or to modify endogenous genes.The technology is employed to make crops drought resistant, increase their resistance to extreme climatic conditions and towards insects and pathogens. New genetic combinations also add value to pharmaceutical, agricultural, food, and various other industrial sectors.

To read the entire post, please visit Medium.com.