The role of transgenic crops in sustainable development (original) (raw)
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Transgenic crops: implications for biodiversity and sustainable agriculture
Bulletin of science, technology & society, 2005
The potential for genetically modified (GM) crops to threaten biodiversity conservation and sustainable agriculture is substantial. Megadiverse countries and centers of origin and/or diversity of crop species are particularly vulnerable regions. The future of sustainable agriculture may be irreversibly jeopardized by contamination of in situ preserved genetic resources threatening a strategic resource for the world's food security. Because GM crops are truly biological novelties, their release into the environment poses concerns about the unpredictable ecological and evolutionary responses that GM species themselves and the interacting biota may express in the medium and long term. One of the consequences of these processes may be a generalized contamination of natural flora by GM traits and a degradation and erosion of the commonly owned genetic resources available today for agricultural development. GM plants carrying pharmaceutical and industrial traits will pose even more dangerous risks if released in the environment.
Manjunath, T.M. 2004. Transgenic Crops: The New Promise for Sustainable Agriculture (2004).
Manjunath, T.M., 2004. Transgenic Crops: The New Promise for Sustainable Agriculture. The National Seminar on “Changing World Order: Cotton Research, Development and Policy in Context” organized by Cotton Research and Development Association at Acharya N. G. Ranga Agricultural University, Hyderabad, 10-12 Aug 2004. Transgenic technology can contribute towards the development of plants that can overcome both biotic as well as abiotic stresses. Some of the biotic traits include resistance to pests, diseases and herbicides. Abiotic traits could be in the form of tolerance to drought, heat, cold or salinity. These enable crops to be grown in inhospitable habitats, adding more land for cultivation. Transgenic technology can also help in increasing crop yields and enhancing quality traits such as nutrition and shelf-life of fruits, vegetables and flowers. Transgenic crops (or genetically modified crops) bestowed with any of these traits will significantly contribute towards improving sustainable agriculture.
The Environmental Risks of Transgenic Crops: An Agroecological Assessment
1998
The potential risks associated with transgenic crops (especially herbicide-and insectresistant crops) are highlighted by focusing on unexpected results following transgenic releases. These potential impacts are evaluated in the context of agroecological goals aimed at making agriculture more socially just, economically viable and ecologically sound. It is concluded that the environmental risks are serious and underplayed by the biotechnology industry. It is argued that public funding of research on transgenic crops that enhance agrochemical use and that pose environmental risks; should be ended and that ecological sustainability, alternative low-input technologies, the needs of small farmers and human health and nutrition should be pursued with greater vigour than biotechnology.
Manjunath, T. M., 2005. A Decade of Commercialized Transgenic Crops – Analyses of Their Global Adoption, Safety and Benefits. The Sixth Dr. S. Pradhan Memorial Lecture, Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi, 23 March 2005. (www.agbioworld.org: 8 April 2005). In 2004, transgenic crops were grown on 81.0 million hectares spread over 17 countries, including India, on six continents, marking a 47-fold increase in the area since their first commercialization in 1996. This increasing trend will continue in 2005 and in the coming decade. The dominant transgenic traits were insect resistance (IR) with Bt and herbicide tolerance (HT), either alone or both stacked. The principal transgenic crop was soybean with HR occupying 48.4 m ha followed by corn with IR and also HT plus IR on 19.3 m ha, cotton with IR and also HT plus IR on 9.0 m ha, and canola with HR on 4.3 m ha. The USA is the leading country in the commercial cultivation of transgenic crops, accounting for 59% (47.6 m ha) of the total 81 m ha followed by Argentina 20% (16.2 m ha), Canada 6% (5.4 m ha), Brazil 6% (5.0 m ha), China 5% (3.7 m ha), Paraguay 2% (1.2 m ha), India 1% (0.5 m ha) and South Africa 1% (0.5 m ha). In India, the area planted with Bt-cotton in 2002, the first year of introduction, was 29,415 ha. It increased to 86,240 ha in 2003 and to 530,800 ha in 2004. A nationwide survey carried out in 2003 indicated that the Bt-cotton growers in India were able to obtain, on an average, a yield increase by about 29% due to effective control of bollworms, a reduction in chemical sprays by 60% and an increase in net profit by 78% as compared to their non-Bt counterparts. These benefits were in tune with those obtained in other countries with Bt-cotton and also with other transgenic crops. Further, transgenic crops have proved to be safe and there has not been any untoward incident with regard to safety or pest resistance so far. Despite their proven safety and benefits, there has been an unending debate and unsubstantiated allegations on the safety and benefits of transgenic crops! This calls for greater efforts towards biotech awareness and education to mobilize wholehearted support for this remarkable technology which has the potential to revolutionize sustainable agriculture and benefit the farmers and consumers alike. The next generation of transgenic products will focus more on nutritional enhancement and tolerance to drought, cold and other abiotic stresses. As we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the large scale commercial cultivation of transgenic crops in multiple countries, an overview is presented on the global adoption, safety and benefits of these crops as well as some of the challenges faced.
An ecological assessment of transgenic crops
Journal of Development Studies, 2007
Since the first commercial release of a transgenic crop in 1994, the land area planted to these crops has expanded to over 90 million ha worldwide, with approximately 8.5 million farmers in 21 countries cultivating transgenic crops. Public apprehension has mounted apace. Concerns include: (i) the potential for gene flow into wild plant populations or soil organisms; (ii) adverse effects on non-target organisms; (iii) gene products or crop residues persisting in the environment with deleterious effects and, for insecticidal crops; (iv) resistance developing in target pest populations. Numerous studies on the environmental risks of transgenic crops are published. Gene flow to a crop's wild relatives has been demonstrated in the field; hence, the use of these crops is restricted to regions where wild relatives are not endemic. Gene flow to soil organisms is yet to be demonstrated under field conditions and is unlikely given the safeguards employed, but not impossible. The weight of the evidence suggests that there is little risk to nontarget soil organisms, but reduced numbers of non-target beneficial insects have been reported with the use of insecticidal crops in some systems. Population effects on non-target insects associated with the use of insecticidal crops are significantly less extensive than those experienced using chemical pesticides, and it has yet to be determined if observed population changes are ecologically significant in these cropping systems. Resistance of target pests to insecticidal crops is possible and eventually likely, but after nearly a decade of use has yet to be detected under field conditions. Several strategies to reduce potential ecological impacts are either under development or near release. Ecological risks posed by new technologies under development and the need for in-country risk assessment and post-release monitoring are discussed.
Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society, 2005
The coexistence of genetically modified (GM) crops and non-GM crops is a myth because the movement of transgenes beyond their intended destinations is a certainty, and this leads to genetic contamination of organic farms and other systems. It is unlikely that transgenes can be retracted once they have escaped, thus the damage to the purity of non-GM seeds is permanent. The dominant GM crops have the potential to reduce biodiversity further by increasing agricultural intensification. There are also potential risks to biodiversity arising from gene flow and toxicity to nontarget organisms from herbicide-resistant (HT) and insect-resistant (Bt) crops. Unless whole regions are declared GM agriculture free, the development of distinct systems of agriculture (GM and non-GM) will be impossible as GM agriculture emerges at the expense of all other forms of production.
Effects of Transgenic Crops on the Environment
Environmental Pest Management, 2017
6.1 Range and Scope of Transgenic Crops Globally, the use of transgenic crops has increased rapidly during recent decades; they are now grown for food in 31 countries and for feed in 19 counties (Aldemita et al. 2015). The most commonly incorporated trait is herbicide tolerance (HT; e.g. crop tolerance to glyphosate and glufosinate), followed by insect resistance (IR; e.g. crops containing genes that produce insecticidal proteins derived from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt)) (Aldemita et al. 2015). Crops with stacked traits, those containing more than one trait, are becoming increasingly common. The crop with the largest number of varieties that contain single or stacked traits is maize, with stacked traits representing 30% of the total trait approvals (Aldemita et al. 2015). As of September 2013, for example, the USA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) had approved 96 petitions for 145 transgenic crop releases to be sold as follows: maize, 30; cotton, 15; tomatoes, 11; soybeans, 12; rapeseed/canola, 8; potatoes, 5; sugar beets, 3; papaya, rice, and squash, 2 each; and alfalfa, plum, rose, tobacco, flax, and chicory, 1 each (Fernandez-Cornejo et al. 2014). In the USA in 2015, a large proportion of the major field crops include some form of either pest or herbicide resistance traits, including soy (94%), maize (89%) and cotton (89%), covering about half of the total cropland (www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/ adoption-of-genetically-engineered-crops-in-the-us/recent-trends-in-ge-adoption. aspx), with a majority of these containing stacked traits (Fernandez-Cornejo et al. 2014). In 2015, 77% of maize and 79% of cotton in the USA had both herbicide-tolerant and insect-resistant traits. Other traits, such as resistance to bacterial, fungal and viral pathogens, continue to be developed and many new trait combinations have been released in recent years. For example, releases of transgenic cultivars with properties such as drought resistance increased from 1043 in 2005 to 5190 in 2013 (Fernandez-Cornejo et al. 2014). Increasing numbers of reports of herbicide resistance in weeds and insect pest resistance to Bt crops make it very clear that more comprehensive assessments of risks over longer temporal and larger spatial scales are required. The increase in the number and types of traits being engineered into crops indicates a need for assessments that account for different types of potential environmental effects beyond those associated with herbicide and pest resistance.