Safety assessment of genetically modified crops for yield increase and resistance to both biotic and abiotic stresses and their impact on human and environment (original) (raw)

Genetically Modified Crops – A Potential Risk for Sustainable Agriculture

Te concept of sustainability applied to agriculture has developed mainly as a result of growing awareness of negative impacts of intensive agriculture production systems on the environment and the quality of life. Intensive agriculture systems are based on genetically uniform crops which can be susceptible to various diseases and insect pests. Genetically modifed (GM) crops have been developed in an attempt to expedite the process of crop improvement for food quality and solve some of the problems associated with commercial agriculture, including disease and weed management. Te introduction of GM crops into agriculture has opened a great debate about their safety with respect to possible long-term adverse efects on the environment, human health and sustainability of this new agricultural technology. Environmental safety issues focus on the direct or indirect efects of GM crops on non-target organisms and the transfer of GM traits to populations of wild plants via gene fow. Food safety concerns relate to the potential allergenicity of food products. Herbicide tolerant Roundup Ready (RR) soybean is the dominant GM crop occupying 50% of the global biotech area. It is one of seven transgenic soybean lines authorized for the EU market, none of those for cultivation. Te most serious problem for farmers who grow RR soybean is the outbreak of glyphosate-resistant weeds, or “superweeds” which can lead to overuse of selective broad-leaf herbicides or herbicide mixtures.

Biosafety Aspects of Genetically Modified Crops

Genetically Modified Plants and Beyond, 2022

With the advancement in the field of agricultural biotechnology, many genetically modified crops like Bt- cotton, Bt- brinjal have been developed and commercialised to fulfil the need of the world population. Several biosafety concerns viz., risk to human health, risk to environment, ecological concern o has been raised after the rapid commercialization of GM crops every year across the world. As per Convention on biodiversity (CBD), Biosafety is a term used to describe efforts to reduce and eliminate the potential risk resulting from biotechnology and its product. Though many concerns being raised time to time, strict biosafety guideline must be followed before introducing a GM crop in public domain especially in resource poor developing countries.

Biosafety issues related to genetically engineered crops

MOJ Current Research & Reviews

| http://medcraveonline.com protocols/ procedures for India. While designing GM crops, the native species and gene in question needs to be taken into account. GM crops might become agricultural weeds or invade natural habitats if proper risk assessment (RA) is not performed prior to their release. The possible impacts of GM crops are as follows: Weediness and invasiveness One of the potential concerns about genetically modified organisms (GMOs) is that they will become agricultural weeds or invade natural habitats, 1 as the traits introduced by GMOs might increase the reproductive success or fitness of the crop, thereby increasing its competitive ability. One conjectural risk is that GMOs will either cause the host species to become invasive or will escape from the original host species or cause other species to become invasive. Ellstrand et al. 2 suggested that new combinations can create genotypes with different and surprising ecological behaviors. Researches have shown that the gene flow from transgenic crop is easy to escape to the weedy relative Brassica campestris. Canola is also capable of cross pollinating with several other weed species including wild radish (Raphanus raphanistrum) and buchan weed (Alternanthera philoxeroides).

Genetically Modified Crops: Resistant To Pest And Environmental Stress: A Review

2024

Genetically modified crops (GMCs) have emerged as a revolutionary force in agriculture, offering promising solutions to address global challenges such as food security, environmental sustainability, and economic viability. The overview of genetically modified crops, encompassing their development, benefits, concerns, and future prospects. Genetically modified crops are created through the incorporation of specific genes from one organism into another to confer desirable traits, such as resistance to pests, diseases, and environmental stresses, or enhanced nutritional profiles. The development of GMCs involves advanced biotechnological techniques, including gene editing tools like CRISPR-Cas9 and traditional methods like selective breeding. The benefits of genetically modified crops are multifaceted. Improved yield and crop resilience contribute to increased food production, addressing the growing global population's nutritional needs. Resistance to pests and diseases reduces the reliance on chemical pesticides, promoting environmentally friendly and sustainable agricultural practices. Additionally, some GMCs are designed to withstand harsh environmental conditions, such as drought or soil salinity, expanding the range of cultivable land. However, the widespread adoption of genetically modified crops has sparked debates and raised concerns. Environmentalists express apprehension about potential ecological impacts, including the unintentional spread of modified genes to wild plant populations and the development of resistance in target pests. Socioeconomic issues, such as intellectual property rights and corporate control over seeds, have also been contentious topics. To address these concerns, ongoing research focuses on refining the safety assessment protocols for genetically modified crops, implementing responsible and transparent regulatory frameworks, and conducting long-term environmental impact studies. Public awareness and engagement play a crucial role in shaping the ethical, legal, and social aspects surrounding genetically modified crops. Looking ahead, the future of genetically modified crops holds promise for addressing emerging challenges in agriculture. Continued

Safety assessment of genetically modified crops

Toxicology, 2002

The development of genetically modified (GM) crops has prompted widespread debate regarding both human safety and environmental issues. Food crops produced by modern biotechnology using recombinant techniques usually differ from their conventional counterparts only in respect of one or a few desirable genes, as opposed to the use of traditional breeding methods which mix thousands of genes and require considerable efforts to select acceptable and robust hybrid offspring. The difficulties of applying traditional toxicological testing and risk assessment procedures to whole foods are discussed along with the evaluation strategies that are used for these new food products to ensure the safety of these products for the consumer.

Risk Assessment of Genetically Modified Plants: A Review

Asian Journal of Research in Crop Science, 2020

The health of genetically engineered foods/plants, which is one of the significant issues has been raised in recent years. Various non-governmental organizations and customers recommended that all GM foods before authorization for human consumption should be subject to long-term animal feed studies. The fundamental purpose of this review is to assess the new potential harmful impact/safety assessment of genetically engineered plants for the use of humans. A balance in the number of research groups, depending on their research, a variety of GM crops (maize and soybeans in particular) are varied as for traditional non-genetically modified plants. It is worth remembering that most of the experiments were carried out in biotechnology firms that sell these GM plants. In this review, we discussed in detail the risk assessment of genetically modified plants.

Genetically Modified Crops: Prospects, Risk and Precautions

BIOTICA, 2021

Since the establishment of civilization, people are using agricultural elements as their basics for survival. After the initiation of the process domestication, humans have adopted numerous process and techniques for cultivation. During the process of commercial cultivation from the early times to till date, plant protection is an integral aspect. Day by day, much process has been adopted to manage the insect-pests infestation from crop filed. In modern days Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is the widely accepted process of insect-pest management, as the non-judicious and excess application of only chemical technique can lead to biomagnifications including other issues to the ecology which is hazardous to the environment as well as expensive. Presently conventional techniques are also in practice to control the insect-pests. Beside this, genetically engineered crop, also known as transgenic crop or genetically modified organisms (GMOs), can be a better option for insect-pest control in future. This technique is commercially used in India on cotton crops where highest pesticide is consumed to manage american boll worm. In this process, alien gene insertion has been carried out to make the crop species resistant to a target insect using the genetic engineering process. Still, there are some issues regarding the commercial application of GMOs as it may create health issues because of its transgenic properties. There is a huge opportunity that strategic research shall surely open a new horizon for the commercial use of GMOs in management of insect-pest.

Genetically modified crops: success, safety assessment, and public concern

Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 2006

With the emergence of transgenic technologies, new ways to improve the agronomic performance of crops for food, feed, and processing applications have been devised. In addition, ability to express foreign genes using transgenic technologies has opened up options for producing large quantities of commercially important industrial or pharmaceutical products in plants. Despite this high adoption rate and future promises, there is a multitude of concerns about the impact of genetically modified (GM) crops on the environment. Potential contamination of the environment and food chains has prompted detailed consideration of how such crops and the molecules that they produce can be effectively isolated and contained. One of the reasonable steps after creating a transgenic plant is to evaluate its potential benefits and risks to the environment and these should be compared to those generated by traditional agricultural practices. The precautionary approach in risk management of GM plants may make it necessary to monitor significant wild and weed populations that might be affected by transgene escape. Effective risk assessment and monitoring mechanisms are the basic prerequisites of any legal framework to adequately address the risks and watch out for new risks. Several agencies in different countries monitor the release of GM organisms or frame guidelines for the appropriate application of recombinant organisms in agro-industries so as to assure the safe use of recombinant organisms and to achieve sound overall development. We feel that it is important to establish an internationally harmonized framework for the safe handling of recombinant DNA organisms within a few years.