More food, cleaner food – gene technology and plants
Key text
This topic is sponsored by CSIRO Plant Industry.
Gene technology, also known as genetic engineering, involves manipulating or transferring genetic material within or between organisms. It has the potential to improve agricultural yields and reduce the application of pesticides.
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You will get more from this topic if you have mastered the basics of DNA and genes – these links will take you to an annotated list of sites with helpful background information. |
An Austrian monk named Mendel was the first to understand the basic principles by which genes are transmitted from parents to offspring. He worked this out in the 1860s while growing garden peas. Many scientists in the early part of this century further advanced our knowledge of gene transmission. In the following decades, scientists discovered the molecular nature of genes and their products. This led to a revolution in biology which is still gaining momentum.
Producing better crops
Crop plants and livestock were bred for desired qualities long before people knew anything about the science of genetics. Early plant and animal breeders selected good varieties and strains without really understanding the underlying genetics. However, now that we do have that understanding, traditional breeding methods have been refined and accelerated.
New varieties of plants are always needed. For example, diseases are continually arising in new forms which can attack previously resistant crops. Plant breeders need to be one step ahead of the pathogens and prepare new resistant varieties for release.
Gene technology provides a new tool
Traditional methods of selective breeding have been provided with a new tool – gene technology. We now have the potential to take a gene from one organism and move it into another. A number of different techniques have been developed that enable us to do this (Box 1: Adding a gene to an organism).
Gene technology not only gives us the potential to select the exact characteristics we want in an organism, but it also enables us to cross species barriers. For example, we can take an insecticide-producing gene from a bacterium and insert it into a plant, making the plant resistant to insect attack. This new-found ability to cross species barriers is what makes gene technology such a powerful tool.
Uses of gene technology
Producing enough food for the world's population without using up all the available land is an enormous challenge. One solution is to develop crops that yield more with fewer inputs; that are more resistant to diseases; that spoil less during storage and transport; that contain more useful nutrients; and that can grow in agricultural land that has been degraded. Gene technology gives us the potential to do this (Box 2: Some examples of Australian gene technology research).
Potential benefits; potential risks
Gene technology promises increased yields and reduced dependence on pesticides. However, as well as potential benefits, there are also potential risks. For example, if an insecticide-producing gene inserted into a crop plant accidentally 'escaped' into a wild relative of the crop, then the wild relative might become a problem weed.
Government safeguards
So, as with all new technologies, we must ensure that we proceed carefully (Box 3: Concerns about gene technology). Before genetically modified organisms are released into the environment, there is usually a prolonged period in which they are kept within a contained laboratory. Initial testing in a more open environment is then closely monitored and restricted. In Australia, both lab-based testing and field trials are overseen by the Genetic Manipulation Advisory Committee.
There are other bodies controlling the use of genetically modified organisms, including the Australia New Zealand Food Authority (ANZFA) and the National Registration Authority (NRA).
- Genetically modified organisms that end up as human food come under the umbrella of ANZFA. It develops and maintains food standards for Australia and New Zealand, in close consultation with State and Territory governments.
- NRA regulates agricultural and veterinary chemicals (eg, herbicides and pesticides). It is responsible for some genetically modified organisms such as pesticide-resistant plants.
Boxes
1. Adding a gene to an organism
2. Some examples of Australian gene technology research
3. Concerns about gene technology
Related Academy Material
Nova
Biology meets industry - genomics, proteomics, phenomics
Epigenetics - beyond genes
Interviews with Australian Scientists
Dr Liz Dennis (Plant biology)
Page updated January 2012.