Biotech & GM: Necessary Aides to Avoid Wars, Famines & Pestilence?

[Native lad]

“During the past 30 years, there has been a rapid increase in the percentage of people living in urban centers, a trend that is expected to continue over the next 30 years. In the period 2000–2030, world population is expected to increase by 2.2 billion people, of which 2.1 billion will be urban dwellers. In 1950, 30 percent of the population lived in urban areas; by 2000, the urban population increased to 47 percent, and it is projected to reach 60 percent by 2030 (UN Population Division 2002). In 1975, there were five megacities (cities with 10 million or more residents) —two in industrial countries and three in developing countries. By 2000, there were 19 megacities, of which 15 were in developing countries. And, by 2015, it is projected there will be 23 megacities*, of which 19 will be in developing countries (UNFPA 2002).”

(Alcamo, et al., 2003, p. 97)

 

*Note: In fact there is disagreement as to how many Megacities there are at present; it is thought that there are between 20 & 30 (Folberth et al., in press); London became one last year (Li et al., 2015).

 

“Globally, the availability of water per person has declined markedly in recent decades. One third of the world's population now lives in countries experiencing moderate to high water stress. This fraction will continue to increase as both population size and per capita water demand grow - reflecting the escalating use of fresh water for irrigated agriculture, livestock production, industry and the requirements of wealthier urban residents”.

(Corvalan, et al., 2005, p. 2)

 

GM is certainly an important research tool, even if not used for any other purpose. In the years ahead, our government is going to have to face the decision on whether or not GM crops and feed are more widely used, so it is prudent that we all help each other identify the benefits and disadvantages, so that we can help each other make informed decisions and help our governments and regulators to adopt sound policies.

 

It is estimated that global food production will need to double by AD 2050 (Shabala, S; Cuin, T.A. 2007). Population expansion is placing increasing pressure on farmers to cultivate marginal land (Ridge, I (ed). 2002; Qadir et al, 2008 ) and grow species outside the range of their natural distribution and vegetation zone (Ridge, I (ed). 2002; Cakmak, I. 2005). Irrigation and/or drainage is employed to maximise yield (Bastiaanssen et al, 2007; Bouarfa et al. 2009). However, with ever increasing competition for water, farmers are increasingly forced to use saline ground water (Bouarfa et al. 2009; Qadir et al, 2008; Schleiff, U. 2008 ). Irrigated land provides around 50% of the world’s cereals, but over 40% of this land shows an increase in salinity (Quintero et al, 2008 ).

 

Using saline groundwater to irrigate, and failing to provide adequate drainage increases soil salinity (Qadir et al, 2000; Turkan, I; Demiral, T. 2009), as does excessive use of fertiliser (Khan, S; Hanjra, M.A. 2008 ). Saline conditions result in loss of soil structure (deflocculation) (Mahajan et al, 2008; Qadir et al, 2008; Qadir, M; Schubert, S. 2002), reduced availability of nutrients (Qadir, M; Schubert, S. 2002), decreased plant growth and crop yields (Parida, A.K; Das, A.B. 2005; Ridge, I (ed). 2002; E.G; Barrett-Lennard. 2002; Qadir, M; Schubert, S. 2002), and plant death.

 

Around ‘20% of the world’s cultivated land is affected by salinity’(Rubio et al. 2009. p.851). Of this, it is estimated that 20-30 million hectares of land is affected by saline irrigation water (Bouarfa et al. 2009; Duncan et al. 2008 ). This figure increases each year by ~0.25-1.5 million hectares (a further 8.5 million hectares per year is lost to salinisation as a result of other causes (Bouarfa et al. 2009; Khan, S; Hanjra, M.A. 2008 )). In relation to arboriculture, the use of de-icing salt along highways is considered to contribute to the gradual decline in health and, in some cases, death of roadside trees (Dobson, M.C. 1991).

 

For ~10,000 years, mankind has identified, selected, bred and cultivated plants considered to have traits that confer particular benefit/s for a particular end use (Conner, 2003; Fuller, 2007; Purugganan & Fuller, 2009; Tang et al., 2010). Research is underway to genetically engineer salt tolerant plants by introducing genes that will improve the synthesis &/or activity of the various proteins (transporters, aquaporines, antioxidants, and osmolytes) that confer salt tolerance (Maurel et al. 2009; Munns, R. 2005; Apse, M.P; Blumwald, E. 2002). Differences in traits, at every taxonomic level, are known to affect species abundance distribution (McGill, et al., 2006; Shipley, et al., 2006; Green et al., 2008 ), and may represent different evolutionary strategies between species to survive and thrive in their respective niches (Chapin III, et al., 1993; Westoby, et al., 2002; Genung et al., 2011; Parkhurst & Loucks, 1972; Wiens & Graham, 2005; Kawecki, 2008 ).

 

Following over a thousand years of stable atmospheric carbon dioxide (pCO2) levels (Pagani, et al., 2009) (~280 μmol mol-1 (Neftel, et al., 1985)), there has been an anthropogenically induced rise of ~37% over the past 250 years, since the beginning of the industrial revolution (Beerling & Chaloner, 1992; Malhi, et al., 2002; Arora & Boer, 2010). This brings pCO2 levels to the highest they have been in 20 million years (Pearson & Palmer, 2000) (~385 μmol mol-1 (Gonzàlez-Meler, et al., 2009)). This increase is continuing (Solomon, et al., 2009; Riikonen, et al., 2010) and likely to have serious negative global consequences (Prasad, et al., 2006; Fischer & Schär, 2009) for the sustainability of food production (Parry, et al., 2005a; McMichael, et al., 2007; Tubiello, et al., 2007; Lovelli, et al., 2010), human health (McMichael, et al., 2006; Ebi, et al., 2006; Ziska, et al., 2009; Costello, et al., 2009), and national security (Parry, et al., 2005b; Hay, 2011; Rao, 2010). Genetic modification does offer opportunities to minimise the magnitude of negative effects, not least of all starvation and bloodshed. Also, bear in mind that there is going to be further loss of productive lands, globally, as a result of climate change, as sea levels rise.

 

Some of these comments may seem alarmist, but it would be foolish to dismiss them without further thought. From this knowledge, we can deduce that GM is very much a local issue, even if it may not be readily apparent. Climate change, regardless of whether the effects are magnified by man or not, will affect each of us, not least by increased taxes, increased food prices (look at how much the cost of a loaf of bread has risen over the last five years) and greater levels of poverty.

 

“…while demands for ecosystem services such as food and clean water are growing, human actions are at the same time diminishing the capability of many ecosystems to meet these demands. Sound policy and management interventions can often reverse ecosystem degradation and enhance the contributions of ecosystems to human well-being, but knowing when and how to intervene requires substantial understanding of both the ecological and the social systems involved.

Better information cannot guarantee improved decisions, but it is a prerequisite for sound decision-making”.

(Alcamo, et al., 2003, p. 1)

 

“On November 7, 2013, Pope Francis gave his personal blessing to Golden Rice (GR). Why is this significant? Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is responsible for 500,000 cases of irreversible blindness and up to 2 million deaths each year”.

Source: The Golden Rice Humanitarian Board website: http://www.goldenrice.org/

 

It is intended that this thread serve as a forum for informed discussion, as opposed to a place for statements of belief. By all means, voice your fears, but provide references to academic research that supports your case.

 

 

"This we know:

The earth does not belong to man:

man belongs to the earth.

All things are connected like the

blood which unites one family.

Man did not weave the web of life;

he is merely a strand in it.

Whatever he does to the web

he does to himself."

 

Chief Seattle (1854)

 

 

Notes to readers:

 

the "References To Inform Debate" section has been moved down the board.

 

If you discover this thread days, months or years after it was first posted, do not regard it as inactive or too old to be worthy of your contribution. People will be discussing these issues and associated effects for decades, so your contribution, provided it has sound basis, will be valued for a very long time yet.

 

 

REFERENCES

 

Alcamo, J., Ash, N., Butler, C. & Callicott, J., et al., (2003). Millennium Ecosystem Assessment: Ecosystems and human well-being: a framework for assessment, London: Island Press.

http://www.unep.org/maweb/en/Framework.aspx

 

You can download individual chapters of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment Technical Report (2011) and access the latest news via the following link:

 

http://uknea.unep-wcmc.org/Resources/tabid/82/Default.aspx

 

(Also, see Chapter 10 "Urban" of the Technical Report published in 2011, which is of particular relevance with regard to recognition and acknowledgement of the value of street trees; see Chapter 8, too: "Woodlands").

 

 

Apse, M. P., & Blumwald, E. (2002). Engineering salt tolerance in plants. Current Opinion in Biotechnology, 13(2), 146-150. http://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?cluster=8784708505969216313&hl=en&as_sdt=0,5

 

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Bastiaanssen, W. G., Allen, R. G., Droogers, P., D’Urso, G., & Steduto, P. (2007). Twenty-five years modeling irrigated and drained soils: State of the art. Agricultural Water Management, 92(3), 111-125.

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Dobson, M. C. (1991b). Tolerance of trees and shrubs to de-icing salt. Arboricultural Advisory & Information Service.*

 

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*Items with an asterisk are not currently available as PDF documents to download online free of charge. The other items are currently available as PDF documents to download online free of charge.

 

APA Style referencing courtesy of the Google Scholar "cite" function.

Edited May 3, 2015 by Native lad
To convert from italics to standard.

[Native lad]

REFERENCES continued...

 

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*Items with an asterisk are not currently available as PDF documents to download online free of charge. The other items are currently available as PDF documents to download online free of charge.

 

APA Style referencing courtesy of the Google Scholar "cite" function.

Edited March 26, 2015 by Native lad
To add a reference (Li et al., 2015)

[psynuk]

Thats too long to read and comment on right now,

But I've recently read a book by Ramez Naam called 'the infinite resource'

Which among other things, takes a look rationally at food and water and how it will and could be managed to the benefit of all

 

It's a wholly interesting book that is worth a read if only for it's optimistic outlook

[apelike]

Its all about money.

 

Food..

 

There is plenty produced but scarcity is not so much about how foods are produced but about how they are used and distributed. The hype about GM grown products helping to feed the increasing masses is just that, hype and designed to increase the profits of a few companies that develop the seeds.

 

We also use plenty of edible foodstuffs just to make oil for cooking and bio-fuel as its a lucrative business and grain is also given to animals to eat. People are starving in places and yet people in other places are becoming obese and yet tons of food is being thrown away each day due to oversupply, so food distribution needs to be tackled first.

 

Water..

 

Its perfectly possible to use desalination plants and also build pipelines to distribute the water but again its about money and who will pay for it. GM seeds wont grow unless that aspect is tackled first but if it is then GM foods would not be needed.

 

Tackle those problems first before falling for the GM hype.

[geared]

So where was that lot copied and pasted from and what point is the OP attempting to make??

[Native lad]

So where was that lot copied and pasted from and what point is the OP attempting to make??

 

"That lot" is not copied & pasted from anywhere. It is my own work. Obviously, to support statements within the text, citations appear within the text and are accompanied by references. Any references not posted at present soon will be, when I get a moment.

 

The point is to encourage informed debate on the pros and cons of the use of biotechnology, particularly with reference to plant science.

Edited March 23, 2015 by Native lad

[psynuk]

“During the past 30 years, there has been a rapid increase in the percentage of people living in urban centers, a trend that is expected to continue over the next 30 years. In the period 2000–2030, world population is expected to increase by 2.2 billion people, of which 2.1 billion will be urban dwellers. In 1950, 30 percent of the population lived in urban areas; by 2000, the urban population increased to 47 percent, and it is projected to reach 60 percent by 2030 . In 1975, there were five megacities (with 10 million or more residents)—two in industrial countries and three in developing countries. By 2000, there were 19 megacities, of which 15 were in developing countries. And, by 2015, it is projected there will be 23 megacities, of which 19 will be in developing countries

 

“Globally, the availability of water per person has declined markedly in recent decades. One third of the world's population now lives in countries experiencing moderate to high water stress.This fraction will continue to increase as both population size and per capita water demand grow - reflecting the escalating use of fresh water for irrigated agriculture, livestock production, industry and the requirements of wealthier urban residents”.

 

 

GM is certainly an important research tool, even if not used for any other purpose. In the years ahead, our government is going to have to face the decision on whether or not GM crops and feed are more widely used, so it is prudent that we all help each other identify the benefits and disadvantages, so that [we can help each other make informed decisions and help our governments and regulators to adopt sound policies.

 

It is estimated that global food production will need to double by AD 2050. Population expansion is placing increasing pressure on farmers to cultivate marginal land and grow species outside the range of their natural distribution and vegetation zone . Irrigation and/or drainage is employed to maximise yield. However, with ever increasing competition for water, farmers are increasingly forced to use saline ground water . Irrigated land provides around 50% of the world’s cereals, but over 40% of this land shows an increase in salinity

 

Using saline groundwater to irrigate, and failing to provide adequate drainage increases soil salinity, as does excessive use of fertiliser. Saline conditions result in loss of soil structure (deflocculation), reduced availability of nutrients decreased plant growth and crop yields, and plant death.

 

Around ‘20% of the world’s cultivated land is affected by salinity’. Of this, it is estimated that 20-30 million hectares of land is affected by saline irrigation water. This figure increases each year by ~0.25-1.5 million hectares (a further 8.5 million hectares per year is lost to salinisation as a result of other causes). In relation to arboriculture, the use of de-icing salt along highways is considered to contribute to the gradual decline in health and, in some cases, death of roadside trees.

 

For ~10,000 years, mankind has identified, selected, bred and cultivated plants considered to have traits that confer particular benefit/s for a particular end use. Research is underway to genetically engineer salt tolerant plants by introducing genes that will improve the synthesis &/or activity of the various proteins (transporters, aquaporines, antioxidants, and osmolytes) that confer salt tolerance. Differences in traits, at every taxonomic level, are known to affect species abundance distribution and may represent different evolutionary strategies between species to survive and thrive in their respective niches

 

Following over a thousand years of stable atmospheric carbon dioxide (pCO2) levels (~280 μmol mol-1) ~280 μmol mol-1 , there has been an anthropogenically induced rise of ~37% over the past 250 years, since the beginning of the industrial revolution .

This brings pCO2 levels to the highest they have been in 20 million years (~385 μmol mol-1). This increase is continuing and likely to have serious negative global consequences for the sustainability of food production , human health, and national security. Genetic modification does offer opportunities to minimise the magnitude of negative effects, not least of all starvation and bloodshed. Also, bear in mind that there is going to be further loss of productive lands, globally, as a result of climate change, as sea levels rise.

 

Some of these comments may seem alarmist, but it would be foolish to dismiss them without further thought. From this knowledge, we can deduce that GM is very much a local issue, even if it may not be readily apparent. Climate change, regardless of whether the effects are magnified by man or not, will affect each of us, not least by increased taxes, increased food prices (look at how much the cost of a loaf of bread has risen over the last five years) and greater levels of poverty.

 

“…while demands for ecosystem services such as food and clean water are growing, human actions are at the same time diminishing the capability of many ecosystems to meet these demands. Sound policy and management interventions can often reverse ecosystem degradation and enhance the contributions of ecosystems to human well-being, but knowing when and how to intervene requires substantial understanding of both the ecological and the social systems involved.

Better information cannot guarantee improved decisions, but it is a prerequisite for sound decision-making

 

“On November 7, 2013, Pope Francis gave his personal blessing to Golden Rice. Why is this significant? Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is responsible for 500,000 cases of irreversible blindness and up to 2 million deaths each year”.

Source: The Golden Rice Humanitarian Board website: http://www.goldenrice.org/

 

It is intended that this thread serve as a forum for informed discussion, as opposed to a place for statements of belief. By all means, voice your fears, but provide references to academic research that supports your case.

 

 

That was horrible to read btw. and your referencing some common knowledge in there as well

 

 

As the prosperity of a country grows and it's inhabitants become richer the population growth will tend to wain, this is often exacerbated by the advancement of women's rights. But is overly counterbalanced bu the aging population which creates another set of future problems.

 

The desalination of water continues to increase and as it does it will become more necessary, advancements will be made and the cost will fall.

The more that business is left to choose it's advancement and it's methods of meeting targets the more successful it will be as it strives for profit. The subsidising of the energy markets to produce renewable energy isn't really helping the cause of reducing the cost or increasing the effectiveness.

The introduction of a fine or levy on co2 will automatically perform the same function as a subsidy with the benefit of driving competition.

 

GM crops are spreading and will continue to do so while there is an advantage to using them, for many farmers worldwide the pros outweigh the possible longterm cons. An obvious fear is the monopolisation of food sources and the weaponisation of that power. But like most industries yield, energy and labour

requirements are being improved considerably. Gm appears to be the next logical step from simple hybridisation but like all new technologies will create philistines.

 

There's a lot of problems possibly on the horizon, all with likely solutions to match. It seems to be only a case of necessity that they are going to have to be addressed on a global scale. The main problem will be to get everyone pulling in the same direction; political, corporate, individual and religious concerns will all have to bend if humans want to do more than simply survive

in armoured enclaves.

 

 

 

not a chance of me providing references unless there's the possibility of a certificate at the end.

[Native lad]

That was horrible to read btw....not a chance of me providing references unless there's the possibility of a certificate at the end.

 

Sorry if the text is a little difficult. Unless you are an academic, you are probably not familiar with the appearance of citations within text. The text is certainly easier to follow without them, but to omit them would leave me open to accusations of plagiarism and, in all likelihood, greater abuse from those that dispute what I have written. The citations verify that I am not being alarmist and that my statements have a sound basis.

 

References To Inform Debate

(moved down the DB, from my initial posting)

 

Abergel, E., 2011. Climate-ready crops and bio-capitalism: towards a new food regime?

Journal of Sociology of Agriculture & Food, Volume 18, pp. 260-274.*

http://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?cluster=12512447546346633324&hl=en&as_sdt=0,5

 

Adcock, M., 2007. Intellectual property, genetically modified crops and bioethics.

Biotechnology Journal, Volume 2, pp. 1088-1092.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/biot.200700090/abstract

 

Brucker, R. & Bordenstein, S., 2012. Speciation by symbiosis.

Trends in Ecology & Evolution, Volume 27, pp. 443–451.

http://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?cluster=404717481493851545&hl=en&as_sdt=0,5

 

Cannon, J., 2010. Statutory stones and regulatory mortar: using negligence per se to mend the wall between farmers growing genetically engineered crops and their neighbours.

Washington and Lee Law Review, Volume 67, pp. 653-691.

http://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?cluster=15895690211056432822&hl=en&as_sdt=0,5

 

Chandra, S., 2012. Natural plant genetic engineer Agrobacterium rhizogenes: role of T-DNA in plant secondary metabolism. Biotechnology Letters, Volume 34, pp. 407-415.*

http://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?cluster=10351635234667577919&hl=en&as_sdt=0,5

 

Chapman, M. & Burke, J., 2006. Letting the gene out of the bottle: the population genetics of genetically modified crops. New Phytologist, Volume 170, pp. 429-443.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2006.01710.x/full

 

Conner, A., Glare, T. & Nap, J., 2003. The release of genetically modified crops into the environment: Part II. Overview of ecological risk assessment. The Plant Journal, Volume 33, pp. 19-46.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.0960-7412.2002.001607.x/full

 

Domingo, J. & J.G, B., 2011. A literature review on the safety assessment of genetically modified plants. Environment International, Volume 37, pp. 734-742.

http://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?cluster=2759829316682760708&hl=en&as_sdt=0,5

 

EFSA GMO Panel Working Group on Animal Feeding Trials, 2008. Safety and nutritional assessment of GM plants and derived food and feed: the role of animal feeding trials.

Food and Chemical Toxicology, Volume 46, pp. S2–S70.

http://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?cluster=10124403015992760223&hl=en&as_sdt=0,5

 

Fleck, B. & Baldock, C., 2003. Intellectual property protection for plant-related inventions in Europe. Nature Reviews Genetics, Volume 4, pp. 834-838.

http://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?cluster=17557998495997277576&hl=en&as_sdt=0,5

 

Gasser, C. & Fraley, R., 1989. Genetically engineering plants for crop improvement.

Science, Volume 244, pp. 1293-1299.

http://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?cluster=2333019352385439167&hl=en&as_sdt=0,5

 

Hails, R., 2000. Genetically modified plants–the debate continues.

Trends in Ecology & Evolution, Volume 15, pp. 14-18 .

http://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?cluster=6779983348821998079&hl=en&as_sdt=0,5

 

Hails, R., 2002. Assessing the risks associated with new agricultural practices.

Nature, Volume 418, pp. 685-688.

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v418/n6898/abs/nature01016.html

 

Harrison, E. & Brockhurst, M., 2012. Plasmid-mediated horizontal gene transfer is a coevolutionary process. Trends in Microbiology, Volume 20, pp. 262-267.

http://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?cluster=6771701847601353716&hl=en&as_sdt=0,5

 

Herman, R., 2010. Ecological risk assessment for transgenic crops: separating the seed from the chaff. Trends in Biotechnology, Volume 28, pp. 159–160.*

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167779910000156

 

Keeling, P. & Palmer, J., 2008. Horizontal gene transfer in eukaryotic evolution.

Nature Reviews Genetics, Volume 9, pp. 605-618.

http://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?cluster=6731463862062507240&hl=en&as_sdt=0,5

 

Keese, P., 2008. Risks from GMOs due to horizontal gene transfer.

Environmental Biosafety Research, Volume 7, pp. 123-149.

http://www.ebrjournal.org/action/displayFulltext?type=1&fid=8208897&jid=EBS&volumeId=7&issueId=03&aid=8208895&bodyId=&membershipNumber=&societyETOCSession=

 

Kier, L. & Petrick, J., 2008. Safety assessment considerations for food and feed derived from plants with genetic modifications that modulate endogenous gene expression and pathways.

Food and Chemical Toxicology, Volume 46, pp. 2591-2605.

http://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?cluster=6931925708998251503&hl=en&as_sdt=0,5

 

Kwit, C., Moon, H., Warwick, S. & Stewart, C., 2011. Transgene introgression in crop relatives: molecular evidence and mitigation strategies. Trends in Biotechnology, Volume 29, pp. 284-293.

http://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?cluster=6559210628270430898&hl=en&as_sdt=0,5

 

Lacroix, B., Tzfira, T., Vainstein, A. & Citovsky, V., 2006. A case of promiscuity: Agrobacterium's endless hunt for new partners. Trends in Genetics, Volume 22, pp. 29-37.

http://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?cluster=2056358673050172081&hl=en&as_sdt=0,5

 

Lemaux, P., 2008. Genetically engineered plants and foods: a scientist's analysis of the issues (Part I). Annual Review of Plant Biology, Volume 59, pp. 771-812.

http://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev.arplant.58.032806.103840

 

Lemaux, P., 2009. Genetically engineered plants and foods: a scientist's analysis of the issues (Part II). Annual Review of Plant Biology, Volume 60, pp. 511-559.

http://www.annualreviews.org/eprint/ESHx4FnZadAJZqvIsGRg/full/10.1146/annurev.arplant.043008.092013?select23=Choose

 

Mayer, J. E., 2005. The golden rice controversy: useless science or unfounded criticism?

BioScience, Volume 55, pp. 726-727.

http://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?cluster=14469329409100606339&hl=en&as_sdt=0,5

 

McCullen, C. & Binns, A., 2006. Agrobacterium tumefaciens and plant cell interactions and activities required for interkingdom macromolecular transfer.

Annual Review of Cell and Developmental Biology, Volume 22, pp. 101-127.

http://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?cluster=16247711891341629456&hl=en&as_sdt=0,5

 

Mertens, M., 2008. Assessment of Environmental Impacts of Genetically Modified Plants, Bonn: Bundesamt für Naturschutz (BfN).

http://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?cluster=8150084098027766138&hl=en&as_sdt=0,5

 

Miki, B. & McHugh, S., 2004. Selectable marker genes in transgenic plants: applications, alternatives and biosafety. Journal of Biotechnology, Volume 107, pp. 193-232.

http://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?cluster=9658356493401914480&hl=en&as_sdt=0,5

 

Mittler, R. & Blumwald, E., 2010. Genetic engineering for modern agriculture: challenges and perspectives. Annual Review of Plant Biology, Volume 61, pp. 443-462.

http://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?cluster=1399951066129198805&hl=en&as_sdt=0,5

 

Morin, X., 2008. Genetically modified food from crops: progress, pawns, and possibilities.

Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, Volume 392, pp. 333-340.

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00216-008-2313-4

 

Nap, J., Metz, P., Escaler, M. & Conner, A., 2003. The release of genetically modified crops into the environment. Part I. Overview of current status and regulations.

The Plant Journal, Volume 33, pp. 1-18.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.0960-7412.2003.01602.x/abstract

 

O'Brien, T., 2002. Emergence, spread, and environmental effect of antimicrobial resistance: how use of an antimicrobial anywhere can increase resistance to any antimicrobial anywhere else.

Clinical Infectious Diseases, Volume 34, pp. S78-S84.

http://cid.oxfordjournals.org/content/34/Supplement_3/S78.short

 

Parrott, W. Chassy, B., Ligon, J., Meyer, L., Petrick, J., Zhou, J., Herman, R., Delaney, B., Levine, M., 2010. Application of food and feed safety assessment principles to evaluate transgenic approaches to gene modulation in crops.

Food and Chemical Toxicology, Volume 48, pp. 1773–1790.

http://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?cluster=7656926113911717391&hl=en&as_sdt=0,5

 

Pilson, D. & Prendeville, H., 2004. Ecological effects of transgenic crops and the escape of transgenes into wild population. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics, Volume 35, pp. 149-174 . *

http://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?cluster=5218661276871514889&hl=en&as_sdt=0,5

 

Richmond, R., 2008. Environmental protection: applying the precautionary principle and proactive regulation to biotechnology. Trends in Biotechnology, Volume 26, pp. 460-467.

http://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?cluster=6807271368421838292&hl=en&as_sdt=0,5

 

Rivera, A., Gómez-Lim, M., Fernández, F. & Loske, A., 2012. Physical methods for genetic plant transformation. Physics of Life Reviews, Volume 9, pp. 308-345.

http://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?cluster=11693820108952751888&hl=en&as_sdt=0,5

 

Sharma, K., Bhatnagar-Mathur, P. & Thorpe, T. A., 2005. Genetic transformation technology: status and problems. In Vitro Cellular & Developmental Biology, Volume 41, pp. 102-112.*

http://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?cluster=9563189683258950938&hl=en&as_sdt=0,5

 

Stein, R., 2011. Antibiotic resistance: A global, interdisciplinary concern.

The American Biology Teacher, Volume 73, pp. 314-321.*

http://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?cluster=17061031451144935013&hl=en&as_sdt=0,5

 

Thomas, C. & Nielsen, K., 2005. Mechanisms of, and barriers to, horizontal gene transfer between bacteria. Nature Reviews Microbiology, Volume 3, pp. 711-721.

http://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?cluster=4925809553965537164&hl=en&as_sdt=0,5

 

Tuteja, N., Verma, S., Sahoo, R.K., Raveendar, S., Reddy, I.N., 2012. Recent advances in development of marker-free transgenic plants: regulation and biosafety concern.

Journal of Biosciences, Volume 37, pp. 167-197.

http://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?cluster=2632319957401163656&hl=en&as_sdt=0,5

 

Tzfira, T. & Citovsky, V., 2002. Partners-in-infection: host proteins involved in the transformation of plant cells by Agrobacterium. Trends in Cell Biology, Volume 12, pp. 121-129.

http://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?cluster=840790974546711012&hl=en&as_sdt=0,5

 

Van Montagu, M., 2011. It is a long way to GM agriculture.

Annual Review of Plant Biology, Volume 62, pp. 1-23.

http://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?cluster=14656897149775095454&hl=en&as_sdt=0,5

 

Veena, V. & Taylor, C., 2007. Agrobacterium rhizogenes: recent developments and promising applications. In Vitro Cellular & Developmental Biology - Plant, Volume 43, pp. 383-403.*

http://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?cluster=14240406164388837208&hl=en&as_sdt=0,5

 

Wohlers, A., 2010. Regulating genetically modified food: Policy trajectories, political culture, and risk perceptions in the US, Canada, and EU. Politics and the Life Sciences, Volume 29, pp. 17-39.*

http://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?cluster=16323227300842731275&hl=en&as_sdt=0,5

 

Zaneveld, J., Nemergut, D. & Knight, R., 2008. Are all horizontal gene transfers created equal? Prospects for mechanism-based studies of HGT patterns. Microbiology, Volume 154, pp. 1-15.

http://mic.sgmjournals.org/content/154/1/1.short

 

*Items with an asterisk are not currently available as PDF documents to download online free of charge. The other items are currently available as PDF documents to download online free of charge.

 

 

National Policy

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/making-the-food-and-farming-industry-more-competitive-while-protecting-the-environment/supporting-pages/genetic-modification

 

 

Educational Resources

 

 

Plant Biotechnology:

 

http://global.oup.com/uk/orc/biosciences/plant/slaterplants2e/01student/bibliography/

 

 

Genetics:

 

Visit DNA Interactive: http://www.dnai.org/index.htm - to understand genetic modification, you really need a basic understanding of DNA and the methods used to transform an organism. This is arguably the best online educational resource, but there are others…

http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/

 

Visit the DNA Learning Centre: http://www.dnalc.org/resources/3d/ - you will find animations and other learning resources that provide a basic introduction to genetics and molecular techniques used to create a genetically modified organism (GMO), such as a bacterium or plant. The Spotlight Collections and animation libraries are particularly worth a visit.

 

For an animation of DNA replication: http://www.dnalc.org/view/15879-Semi-conservative-replication.html

 

For information on the polymerase chain reaction (with links to a glossary and an animation/”movie”): http://faculty.plattsburgh.edu/donald.slish/PCR.html

 

For an animation showing how enzymes are used to cleave DNA at specific sites: http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/olc/dl/120078/bio37.swf

 

http://www.dnalc.org/resources/animations/restriction.html

 

For those of you that are interested in learning a little more about gene cloning: http://www-users.med.cornell.edu/~jawagne/genes,_promoters,_DNA_%26_ge.html

 

For an animation on DNA sequencing (a procedure to identify the genetic code): http://www.dnalc.org/resources/animations/sangerseq.html

 

 

Interesting Quotes

 

 

“The acquisition of new resistance genes can be intracellular, such as the transfer of a gene from a plasmid to the chromosome, or intercellular, which is often called “lateral” or “horizontal” gene transfer (Boerlin & Reid- Smith, 2008.). As a result of horizontal gene transfer, antimicrobial resistance may be transferred between bacteria from the same species or between different bacterial species (Barlow, 2009).” (Stein, 2011)

 

“In most cases the occurrence of HGT from GM crops to other organisms is expected to be lower than background rates.” (Keese, 2008.)

 

 

Radio:

 

Restarting the Antibiotic Pipeline (2 episodes)

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05n8yr0/broadcasts/upcoming

 

 

BBC

 

Olive pest control:

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24958488

 

 

Dengue fever/malaria/pest solution:

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01blj2d

 

 

Other

 

Ash dieback:

http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/news/fundamental-bioscience/2014/140708-pr-tgac-data-to-combat-ash-dieback.aspx

 

http://www.kplctv.com/story/23332531/oxitecs-olive-fly-strain-could-become-first-gm-insect-to-undergo-field-evaluation-in-the-eu

Edited March 24, 2015 by Native lad