Faq

  • What happens to genes in traditional plant breeding?

    Plant breeding is the art and science of changing the genetics of plants in order to produce desired characteristics.

    "Conventional" breeding relies on cross-pollination between two sexually compatible crop varieties.

    Generally, these are from the same species (e.g. wheat), but breeding can also take place between related species (e.g. rye and wheat to produce triticale, or blackberry and raspberry to give tayberries).

    However, the term also covers techniques such as radiation- or chemical-induced mutation. 

     

  • Are GM crops not “natural”?

    Since crops were first deliberately cultivated about 10,000 years ago, continued selection and cross-breeding has given us crop plants that are highly productive and suitable for us to harvest and eat, but which bear little relationship to their wild relatives and could not compete with them if not cultivated and managed to protect them from pests and weeds. Because this is a process that has gone on for many centuries, we regard the situation as natural. 

     
    Genetic modification is a new tool for plant breeders to produce improved varieties in a more efficient way. Many people believe that we should focus on the end results rather than the technique used to reach them. Herbicide-tolerant plants can be bred through conventional crossing, mutagenesis and selection, or by direct insertion of a specific gene coding for this trait. The end result is the same, even if GM is a newer breeding technique. 
     

  • What is the difference between genetic modification and conventional breeding?

     

    Whatever technique is used, the genome of the new variety is different from the parents, but convention dictates that this is not considered to be genetic modification, the term being reserved for the products of r-DNA technology. GM technology aims to produce new varieties by adding (or modifying the expression of) specific genes known to control particular traits.  GM is more targeted (only a few genes carrying known functions are inserted in the recipient genome) and more rapid (bypassing the multiple cross generations needed by traditional breeding).   It also allows plants to be used to produce molecules which could not be obtained otherwise, such as vaccines or bio-plastics. Where conventional techniques are effective, they will be used, but genetic modification allows a wider range of useful traits to be incorporated into a given crop. 

  • How many farmers plant GM worldwide?

     

    A record 15.4 million farmers grew GM crops in 2010, up from 14 million farmers in 2009.
     
    Worldwide, 148 million hectares were planted with GM crops in 29 countries – an 87-fold increase since they were introduced in 1996. This is about the same size as the territories of Spain, Germany and France combined. 
     
    Resources
     

  • Why are farmers planting GM crops?

    Because they benefit from the technology - after all, over 15 million farmers around the world do so, and their numbers grow each season.

    In addition to higher yields and higher farm income, their reasons include: 

    • Increased management flexibility 

    • Easier adoption of no- or reduced till farming, which saves time, equipment usage, and carbon emissions 

    • Improved weed control

    • Soil preservation 

    • Less worry about pest damage 

    • Less time spent on crop walking and/or insecticide application

    • Savings in energy use – mainly associated with less spraying and tillage

    • Savings in machinery use (for spraying and possibly reduced harvesting times)

    • Improved quality (e.g., lower levels of mycotoxins in GM insect-resistant maize)

  • Are GM crops only planted by ‘big’ farmers?

    No. Over 90% (14.4 million) of the farmers planting GM cropsare small growers in developing countries.

  • Which improvements are the most common?

     

    Most of the GM crops grown commercially today have improved traits for herbicide tolerance (over 70%), insect-resistance, or both. Other GM traits aim at disease resistance, drought tolerance, health or nutrition benefits, longer shelf life or more efficient industrial use.  

  • What is next for GM crops?

     

    There are many more GM crops in the pipeline:
    • Enrichment of grains, such as ‘Golden Rice,’ a rice that aims to decrease blindness in children caused by Vitamin A deficiency
    • Healthier vegetable oils, such as those with fewer trans fats, would also provide benefits to consumers around the world
    • Drought-resistant GM maize will first be commercially cultivated in the US. Other crops that help farmers cope with challenging agricultural conditions are likely to follow.
    • New 'bread basket' crops are being researched and developed, such as GM wheat.
     

  • Where are most GM crops grown?

    The top ten countries planting GM crops each grew more than 1 million hectares in 2010: USA (66.8 million hectares), Brazil (25.4 million), Argentina (22.9 million), India (9.4 million), Canada (8.8 million), China (3.5 million), Paraguay (2.6 million), Pakistan (2.4 million), South Africa (2.2 million) and Uruguay (1.1 million). 

    Brazil, for example, has dramatically expanded its planting of GM crops.
    In the crop season of 2010 to 2011, more than three-quarters of the land used in Brazilian soybean agriculture was planted with GM seeds, and this is predicted to grow by 13% for the 2011/2012 season.
     

  • Which GM crops can be cultivated in the EU?

    As of mid-2011, just two GM crops have been approved for cultivation in Europe.

    1. The more widely grown of the two, MON810, is a type of maize that helps fight off pests, such as the European corn borer. 
    2. The second approved product is a potato for industrial use called Amflora, approved in 2010. Its waxy starch content is useful for making paper, for example. 

    Several member states have issued (legally questionable) bans on cultivation of one or both of these crops approved at EU level.

     

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