Question

What are the potential benefits of transgenic crops?

Answer 1

POTENTIAL ECOLOGICAL BENEFITS
The evaluation of the environmental impact of transgenic organisms often centres on
the risks attached to them. This is justified, as any new, large-scale technology does
have risks and unforeseen consequences. However, a number of arguments have suggested
a positive environmental impact from large-scale production of trasgenic crops.


Reduced environmental impact from pesticides:
Transgenic crops may decrease the use of environmentally harmful chemicals to control
weeds and pests. This can happen in several different ways: certain pesticides are no
longer used, the frequency of treatments is reduced, or the area treated is reduced.
For example, reduced frequency of treatments can bring a net decrease in pesticide
pollution if paralleled with a decrease in the total amount of pesticide and herbicide
used. Conflicting claims have been made about the effect of herbicide-tolerant crops in
the U.S.A. In the absence of published
documentation where the assumptions and the validity of the arguments can be checked,
no conclusions can be drawn.


Increased yield:
If crop yields increased, less cultivated area would be needed to produce the total
amount of food required by people. This could result in a lower pressure on land not
yet under cultivation and could allow more land to be left under protection. The
potential environmental benefits of this type may be greatest in developing countries
where most of the agricultural production increase was due to new areas taken into
cultivation.


Soil conservation:
Herbicide-tolerant crops may allow farmers to abandon the use of soil-incorporated
pre-emergent herbicides. This shift to post-emergent weed control may increase the notill and conservation tillage practices, decreasing soil erosion, water loss, and increasing
soil organic matter.


Phytoremediation:
Genetically modified plants and micro-organisms can be used for in situ remediation
of soil and water pollution. Transgenic plants can sequester heavy metals from soils or detoxify pollutants. This has not yet been used
widely, so its environmental impact has not been studied.

Answer 2

$\bf \:\large \red{ᎪꪀsωꫀᏒ :-}$

Some benefits of genetic engineering in agriculture are increased crop yields, reduced costs for food or drug production, reduced need for pesticides, enhanced nutrient composition and food quality, resistance to pests and disease, greater food security, and medical benefits to the world's growing population.