GMO Full Form

Any organism that has had its genetic material altered using genetic engineering technology is considered to be a genetically modified organism (GMO). GMOs are used to produce many medicines and genetically modified foods. The use of GMOs is a controversial issue. Some people believe that GMOs are unsafe and should not be used in food production. GMOs can help to produce more nutritious and resilient crops. There is currently no consensus on the safety of GMOs. The human population has grown to over 6 billion and is expected to double in 50 years.

Benefits of GMOs

• Resistance to Pests

Insect infestations can be extremely expensive for farmers and result in significant financial losses for them as well as starvation in underdeveloped nations. Chemical pesticides are frequently used by farmers. Consumers are hesitant to consume food that has been sprayed with pesticides because of potential health issues, and run-off agricultural waste from overapplication of pesticides and fertilizers might pollute the water supply and cause environmental damage. Bt corn, for example, can be used to eliminate chemical pesticides and reduce the cost of bringing a crop to market by eliminating the need for application.

• Herbicide Tolerance

Because some plants may not be cost-effective to eliminate with physical methods like tilling, farmers will frequently spray vast quantities of various herbicides (weedkillers) on them, which is a time-consuming and costly technique that needs attention to ensure that the herbicide does not harm the crop plant or the environment. Crop plants developed with gene-editing technology to resist one very potent herbicide might help prevent environmental damage by reducing the number of chemicals needed.

• Tolerance to Cold

Unanticipated colds can be fatal to delicate seedlings. Tobacco and potato have been genetically altered to include a fish antifreeze gene, among other changes. These plants can withstand low temperatures that would be fatal to unaltered seedlings because of this antifreeze gene.

• Drought Tolerance/Salinity Tolerance

As the planet’s population grows and more farmland is used for housing rather than food production, farmers will be forced to grow crops in places that were hitherto considered unsuitable. Individuals now have the ability to produce food in locations that were previously considered unsuitable due to advancements in plant genetics that can endure long droughts or high saline content in soil and groundwater.

• Pharmaceuticals

Medicines and vaccines are frequently costly to produce, and some need special storage conditions that aren’t readily available in underdeveloped countries. Researchers are developing tomato and potato edible vaccines. These vaccines will be far easier to transport, store and administer than traditional injectable vaccines due to their small size.

Drawbacks of GM Plants

• Negative Health Consequences

Although genetic engineering technology is still in its early stages, it has developed rather recently. Agricultural companies and the scientific community eager to show the technology’s viability have fueled what some people see as an uncontrolled race to market. According to Nina Fedoroff, a molecular biologist at Penn State University, in the spring 2007 edition of Science Journal, more than 60% of the items in most U.S. supermarkets are manufactured using genetically altered plants or animals.

• Gene Spilling

The law of unintended consequences is one of the most common reasons for people to be against bioengineered foods. It’s impossible to predict what effect, if any, genetically modified crops with uncontrolled populations might have on surrounding wild plants. However, there has been no long-term study on the impacts of releasing transgenic plant pollen into the wild via wind and insects.

• Few Species of Animals and Plants

Biodiversity within a species or genus, as it pertains to plants and animals, is beneficial to the survival of the species. Because of differences in soil and weather conditions, some varieties of corn might survive better than others when a specific virus destroys crops in Northern Iowa. On the other hand, because one adjacent farm’s slightly different variety was immune, only part of the crop would be destroyed. By the year 2050, the world’s population is expected to reach 9.5 billion people, suggesting that global food demand will continue to rise. Genetically modified plants are taking up more and more farmland as our planet’s species number and diversity decrease.

• Cross-Pollination Occurs When Pollen From One Plant is Transferred to Another

The various potentially hazardous environmental effects of GMOs are numerous, and many more remain to be discovered and may be irreversible. The loss of plant and animal species diversity is one such consequence. Unintended harm to other creatures is another. The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) defines “superweeds” as undesirable plant species that have acquired herbicide resistance genes through cultivation. Some of these concerns are comparable to those associated with genetic engineering.

Conclusion

A summary of the above is that, while Genetically Modified Organisms have a number of advantages, they nevertheless raise concerns regarding the creation and consumption of genetically engineered crops. Because everyone is affected by the decisions, these options must be examined by all of humanity. While each person can read through these facts and reach a different conclusion about the value of genetically modified foods and the ethical choices being made by the businesses in charge of manufacturing them. The ultimate decision on genetically modified foods should be made by well-educated consumers, not misled by those in the power of government.