Impacts of Biotech

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“ramp up” the process of photosynthesis.With the current supply of food struggling to meet its demands, processes like these could have an immense impact on the food production industry. Increased crop yields of GM plants have the potential to benefit both farmers and consumers in everyday life.

Many people fear of the unexpected consequences of using genetically modified crops consistently. Unintentional cross pollination poses a serious problem for the future of genetically modified crops. Scientists are saying that the growth of GM canola in North Dakota wo different types of herbicide resistant canola were found in the wild, but a third strain was found which was resistant to both herbicides, which is a trait never seen before. If occurrences like this persist, they can have more drastic unexpected consequences which will have a negative impact on the natural crops in the world.

Similarly, there is much controversy over the effects of GMOs on non target organisms. One of the most famous examples of this was the discussion of the effects of Bt corn pollen on Monarch butterfly populations.Although Bt corn has no documented impacts on pollinators, when its pollen is dispersed by the wind, its effects can be deadly. In the study, it showed that in Maryland, after six to nine days of being exposed to the Bt corn pollen, the Monarch instar survival between 51 and 60%. The results of this study sparked the interest of many in fear of the effects of genetically modified crops on outside organisms.

superbugs have started to arise due to the use of biotechnology in agriculture. The company Monsanto has discovered that some common insects have developed resistance to some of the GM crops. In the article, it is stated that large quantities of pink bollworm hybrids were found expressing one Bt protein. These worms were then fed the toxins at a normal rate, and survived. With the increased use of genetically modified organisms in modern society, this could pose a severe problem. The more humans use biotechnology to genetically engineer, the more likely organisms are to arise with traits that allow them to resist pesticides.