Genetically Modified organizm (GMO’s)

GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS
Name
Institution
Abstract
The impact of GMO’s on global food security is a debate that has been raging globally for a while. However, the opponents of this technology have succeeded in creating legislation that bans commercialization of genetically altered crops in many countries. Because of this, they risk adding more people to the 1.3 billion people who face chronic food shortages due to reliance on traditional methods of food production. Furthermore, by ignoring scientific data that is readily available, opponents of this promising technology risk exposing humanity to the dangers that are ahead if this technology is not widely adapted. This research paper seeks to establish the origin of genetic engineering, its benefit, potential problems among other important factors. By vigorously researching and compiling data on the impact of GMOs, this research paper has sought to identify how GECs (Genetically Engineered Crops) impact the environment and the people who use them. Also, the research will focus on two examples of genetic engineering of two popular plants, the Hibiscus Sabdariffa and the Sorrel and identify how they will help combat diseases that have plagued them or other plants they will be engineered into. This study is critical in the sense that it allows the public to acknowledge the possibilities and limitations of this technology properly.
Introduction
Since its inception, genetic modification of plants has been an intriguing as it is controversial.

However, the scientific breakthrough has been well received globally due to a number of reasons, paramount being, concern for the consumer’s health. On the other hand, scientists point to the fact that, all food that is thought to be natural has undergone countless generations of slight genetic engineering by evolution. They state that, by speeding up this process, crop yield production will provide for and even surpass current global nutrition needs. Also, they point to the fact that these plants can be used for other non-food uses such as the production of vaccines and biofuels to meet the growing demand for energy. Also, critics point out that by altering the genetic makeup of plants, scientists risk creating numerous environmental hazards such as weed resistant plants that could adversely affect food security globally.
History
For a long time, since the first cultivation of any plants, modern human beings have tried to influence the breeding of plants to produce plants of a better quality, which are disease and pest resistant, capable of a high yield(Conner, Glare & Nap, 2003). In simple terms, the genetic engineering and introduction of foreign genes into organisms can be simply seen as doing the same selective breeding, in a more scientific manner only at faster rates with better results. The first-ever plan to be announced as genetically engineered was a variety of insect-resistant tobacco by Belgian scientists. This was in the year 1982, and five years later these scientists started the plant genetic engineering lab based in Ghent Belgium. Founded by “Marc Van Montagu” and “Jeff Schell”, the plant devised a method of protecting tobacco from insect attacks by introducing insect protein from “Bacillus thuringiensis” into the plant’s genetic makeup (Conner, Glare & Nap, 2003).
In the year 1995, the country’s first pesticide producing plant, the “Bt Potato” was introduced by the EPA (US Environmental Protection Agency). In the same year, canola with a modified oil composition along with “Bt maize,” disease resistant variants of squash soybeans and cotton were also approved. In fact, by the next year about 35 commercial approvals had been given out to allow the growing of 8 transgenic plants along with one carnation bearing eight different traits in the EU (European Union), along with six other countries worldwide (Daniell, Datta, Varma, Gray, Lee, 1998).
Methods
Genetically modified crops are added or removed genes by using various genetic engineering techniques. Initially, the technique used was the use of radiation beams to open target cells in the plants; later Agrobacterium was adopted and quickly dropped due to plant tissue damage, before the introduction of the process of microinjecting cells with DNA material encased in gold and tungsten (Conner, Glare & Nap,2003). Finally, electroporation which introduced foreign material through the miniature pores caused by precise electrical currents was found to be a precise method, and of the methods mentioned above, only electroporation and gene guns were widely adopted. However, the recently introduced methods of “CRISPR” (“Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats”) and “TALEN” (“Transcription activator-like effector nucleases”) are being widely adopted because of their more precise and appropriate editing techniques (Darmency, 1994).
Benefits
Increasing nutritional content
In the developing world, individuals often rely on a single staple food, as opposed to the developed nations where people can utilize various foods for their nutritional benefits. For instance, many cereal foods being consumed in these underdeveloped nations lack the essential Vitamin –A which is readily available in plants. In fact, Vitamin A deficiency is directly responsible for over 2 million infant deaths, with many others being rendered blind due to the lack of this vital nutrient (Frewer, Miles & Marsh, 2002). However, by infusing the ability to produce vitamin A into many staple cereals such as the Golden Rice Project that aimed to provide poor farmers with these important plants, many of these deaths could be averted.
Increasing food production
Globally, food production is hindered significantly by many environmental variables such weeds, insects, and diseases. However, by genetically fortifying crops from these adversities, there is a real possibility of increasing yields by a large factor. For example, two of most successful commercial GM crops in the U.S are the virus-resistant GM papaya which along with insect-resistant GM maize now covers an area of over 10.6 million hectares and accounts for about 35% of all maize cultivated nationally (Halford, 2011). Furthermore, the primary cause of crop worldwide is environmental stresses such as salinity, drought, and temperature fluctuations. With water resources continuously decreasing, by 2050, the majority of the available land for food productions will be rendered useless by drought. Many experts are now in agreement that only genetically modified foods can be able to produce enough food in these harsh conditions (Kuiper, Kleter, Noteborn & Kok, 2001).
Other nonfood uses
There are also many uses for GM plants outside of the food production, for example in the timber, paper and chemical sectors and recently in the biofuels industry. However, the most vital of these uses is being tested in the pharmaceutical company. Genetically engineered crops are used as carriers for potentially life-saving vaccines. Various foods are being tested including potatoes which have shown the greatest promise. For instance, it is estimated that only 250 hectares of GM potatoes are required to produce enough Hepatitis B vaccines to satisfy the growing demand in developing countries, this is quite beneficial because the current production using yeast is barely sufficient (Kuiper, Kleter, Noteborn & Kok, 2001). This method is helpful because it is a double benefit for the consumer, who gains vital nutrition and vaccination in one go.
Problems of GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms)
As with any scientific endeavor, genetic modification of plants and other organisms has been met with stiff opposition from various quarters that fails to see the many benefits that are to be gained from the increased production of GMOs. Furthermore, this has ended up with many countries creating laws that restrict or strictly govern the production and commercialization of these crops. Some of the supposed problems that have been cited in relation with GMOs include; creations of herbicide resistant weeds, the introduction of foreign genetic material into the wild and thus negatively affecting environmental balance. Also, GM crops are causative agents for many diseases ranging from cancer to under development in infants (Qaim & Zilberman 2003). However, various scientific studies have proved many of these allegations to be false or overstated, with many of the effects of GMOs to be far less harmful than those occurring naturally (Kuiper, Kleter, Noteborn & Kok, 2001).
Use of genetic engineering in Hibiscus and sorrel plants
Some of the plants that have been genetically altered to create disease-free variants include the introduction of sorrel (spinach) genes into oranges to protect them against citrus greening; a disease that deprives orange trees of vital nutrients causing oranges to become green, bitter and misshapen, ending with the premature falling of the fruit. Reportedly, since 2005, citrus greening has cost the state of Florida over $4 billion in lost jobs and revenue due to the destruction of important orange orchard by the disease (Halford, 2011).
Furthermore, the Hibiscus Sabdariffa or, Rosell, is also being genetically engineered to protect the plant against attacks by Phytophthora parasitica, which is threatening the plant in parts of sub-Saharan Africa (Wang, Vinocur, & Altman, 2003). The disease, which affects the early growth of the Rosell plant, has hampered the production of hibiscus which is an important plant in many parts of the world due to its many nutritional and economic benefits. Furthermore, Hibiscus improvement programs aim to develop varieties that are highly resistant to various diseases or with higher content of anthocyanin pigments. Altering of the Hibiscus genome would facilitate quick development of new varieties with traits that will ensure pest and disease resistance or production of various flower colors to enhance production of natural dye(Qaim & Zilberman, 2003).
References
Conner, A. J., Glare, T. R., & Nap, J. P. (2003). “The release of genetically modified crops into the environment.” The Plant Journal, 33(1), 19-46.
Daniell, H., Datta, R., Varma, S., Gray, S., & Lee, S. B. (1998). “Containment of herbicide resistance through genetic engineering of the chloroplast genome.” Nature Biotechnology, 16(4), 345-348.
Darmency, H. (1994). “The impact of hybrids between genetically modified crop plants and their related species: introgression and weediness. Molecular Ecology”, 3(1), 37-40.
Frewer, L. J., Miles, S., & Marsh, R. (2002). “The media and genetically modified foods: evidence in support of social amplification of risk. Risk Analysis”, 22(4), 701-711.
Halford, N. G. (2011). Genetically modified crops. World Scientific.
Kuiper, H. A., Kleter, G. A., Noteborn, H. P., & Kok, E. J. (2001). “Assessment of the food safety issues related to genetically modified foods.” The plant journal, 27(6), 503-528
Qaim, M., & Zilberman, D. (2003). “Yield effects of genetically modified crops in developing countries. Science”, 299(5608), 900-902
Wang, W., Vinocur, B., & Altman, A. (2003). “Plant responses to drought, salinity, and extreme temperatures: towards genetic engineering for stress tolerance. Planta”, 218(1), 1-14.