Examine the challenges related to transgenic crops in India and how are they significant in view of food security. (250 words)
Answers
The alteration of crops to improve their production was performed through the basis of selection before the creation of transgenics. This selection has been going on for thousands of years. By the year 2050, world population may reach nine billions. Food production will need to increase at the same rate or more in order to satisfy the needs of such an enormous number of people in some older centuries. So, there is a need to use the genetic techniques to improve crops over the recent decades. Through the use of transgenics, one can produce plants with desired traits and even increased yields. The transgenics would allow for more crops that last longer and withstand pests and diseases. Transgenic plant production will allow us to feed the growing population and to produce more desirable products. The future of GM crops remains a vital debate, as its applications have several advantages and disadvantages.Transgenic plants are the ones, whose DNA is modified using genetic engineering techniques. The aim is to introduce a new trait to the plant which does not occur naturally in the species. A transgenic plant contains a gene or genes that have been artificially inserted. The inserted gene sequence is known as the transgene, it may come from an unrelated plant or from a completely different species. The purpose of inserting a combination of genes in a plant, is to make it as useful and productive as possible. This process provides advantages like improving shelf life, higher yield, improved quality, pest resistance, tolerant to heat, cold and drought resistance, against a variety of biotic and abiotic stresses. Transgenic plants can also be produced in such a way that they express foreign proteins with industrial and pharmaceutical value. Plants made up of vaccines or antibodies (Plantibodies) are especially stricing as plants are free of human diseases, thus reducing screening costs for viruses and bacterial toxins.
The first transgenic plants were reported in 1983. Since then, many recombinant proteins have been expressed in several important agronomic species of plants including tobacco, corn, tomato, potato, banana, alfalfa and canola. Tobacco plants were generally used, however potatoes and bananas are also considered, for the purpose of vaccines for human beings. Genetically engineered plants are generated in a laboratory by altering the genetic-make-up, usually by adding one or more genes of a plant's genome. The nucleus of the plant-cell is the target for the new transgenic DNA. Most genetically modified plants are generated by the biolistic method (Particle gun method) or by Agrobacterium tumefaciens mediated transformation method.