Biotechnology: Advantages and disadvantages for agriculture
Title:
Biotechnology: Advantages and disadvantages for agriculture
Author:
Maria Claudia SÁNCHEZ CUEVAS
Appeared in:
Revista científica UDO agrícola
Paging:
Volume 3 (2003) nr. 1 pages 1-11
Year:
2003
Contents:
At the present, we are in the "Biotechnological Era" based on the molecular genetics. It has already given spectacular initialsuccesses and short term big innovations are expected, with huge commercial repercussions. The biotechnology is alltechnological application that uses biological systems and alive organisms or its derivates for the creation or modification ofproducts or processes for specific uses. The genetic engineering has allowed to identify and to isolate specific genes of theDNA in the donating organism by means of restriction enzymes that act as "chemical scissor", to transfer the isolated geneof the DNA of receiving organism by means of enzymes, achieving that receiving organism decodes the new informationand produces a new protein that will allow it to acquire a new trait or feature. So far, resistant plants to insects and pathogenhave been produced; better products, as fruits with lingering period of storage; products with better nutritious properties, asa bigger content of proteins, oils, amino acids, etc.; and with industrial improvements, as a bigger content of fruit solids. Ingeneral, farmers that have begun to sow transgenic crops are satisfied. The area sowed with transgenic crops has also beenincreased quickly. The extension sowed in 1999 (27.8 millions ha) increased to 44% in one year. The ecologists andbiologists point out that the introduction of genes of non related species is not the same that the traditional breeding, becausenatural barriers are jumped and combinations are created that don't exist previously in the nature, giving place to “artificial”individuals that violate natural laws that impede the crossing among biologically different organisms. Biotechnologists pointout that the genetic engineering is a precise technique, because well characterized DNA is introduced, while in thetraditional breeding, the desirable character is transferred together with much material genetic without characterizing, ofwhich their impacts are unknown. The preliminary data about the use of transgenic crops of "first generation" indicate thatacquired traits allow them to boost the productivity at field level, well be reducing the required inputs or increasing yields.
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