Biotechnology - Its Usages and Gm Crops

...

Biotechnology can also be applied for industrial purposes, such as industrial fermentation to produce detergents, textiles, etc.[3] Biotechnology can also affect the environment. Positive effect is the cleaning of contaminated sites, treatment of waste. However, biodiversity can be lost in the process.

Advantages and Disadvantaged of GM crops

One of the advantages of GM crops is that crops are more productive and have a larger yield. More nutrition and flavor can now be produced. Biotechnology helps develop resistance to pest, weeds and diseases. GM crops also are more capable to survive in harsh conditions such as poor soil or adverse climates. Growing GM crops is also considered environment friendly as it requires less pesticides. By using genetic engineering techniques, it is possible to eliminate allergy-causing properties in some foods. And because foods are more resistant, they can be shipped long distances or kept in long periods. People can grow GM crops on small area of land, which helps reducing the usage of precious land.

However, altering genes is also dangerous because scientists still do not know the precise position to insert these genes and it is still impossible to control gene expression. Because genes do not work in isolation, changing one could affect the whole picture. GM crops raise a question to food diversity as the plants are much more dominant. Because GM crops are resistant to pesticide and herbicide, they can lead to the development of other species of super-weeds and super-pests that would need newer, stronger chemicals to destroy them.

Some believe GM crops can answer to world hunger problem. However, world hunger is caused not by shortage of food production, but mismanagement, social, financial and political causes which prevent the access to food in some areas. Therefore, GM crops are not the answer to world hunger.

---------------------------------------------------------------