Decreasing Chemical Application with Technology
Works Cited Not Included
Many people may wonder why it is so important to decrease chemical application on the farm. When people go to the store they often do not think about what goes into the apple or piece of bread they eat. The more chemicals that farmers use on the crops that are sold to the general public increase the chance that those chemicals get into the food we eat. There are many ways that the government and farmers are trying to reduce the amount of chemicals they are using. These range from simply doing crop rotation to genetically modifying plants and animals. Some of the most common ways farmers are decreasing chemical application with technology are
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Major new chemical resistant crops include oilseeds, corn, and cotton. Herbicide tolerant corn is now, including varieties that tolerate popular herbicides based on glyphosate, glufosinate ammonium, and on imidazolinone ( U.S. Farmers pg. 1). This is a big break through for farmers because they can spray chemicals that won’t kill the crop that they spray.
There are many ways that biotechnology can be achieved, one of these is Recombinant DNA technology, this has reached a stage where scientists can take a piece of DNA containing one or more specific gene from nearly any organism, including plants, animals, bacteria, or viruses, and introduce it into a specific crop species. This is frequently been referred to as genetic engineering (Persley, Gabrielle pg. 1). Another common type of DNA technology is genetically-modified organism (GMO). This is an organism that has been modified or transformed using modern techniques of genetic exchange.
There are many people that fear biotechnology; they think that it will end up causing allergies, and super weeds. These people feel that biotechnology should be done with traditional crop breeding. Using traditional breeding techniques would take way too long and would raise the cost drastically. Biotechnology is an exact science and people that think super weeds such as Jointed Goat Grass, would be the result of biotechnology. Biotechnology is the only way that we can keep up with
Duke, S. O. (1995). Herbicide-Resistant Crops: Agricultural, Economic, Environmental, Regulatory, and Technological Aspects. 83-84. Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press.
A GMO (Genetically Modified Organism) is a laboratory process where genes from the DNA of one species is extracted, then artificially forced into the genes of an unrelated plant or animal. The foreign genes may come from bacteria, viruses, insects, animals or even humans. Example: The transgenic potato plants that have
Genetic Engineering is the direct modification of an organism's genes by using biotechnology. Scientists can genetically modify an organism’s chromosomal makeup by inserting proteins that will
Biotechnology has been around since man learned how to create beer with grain. However, biotechnology has many risks. It makes some crops not grow in certain places and cloning that could cause serious problems.
“A Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) is an organism whose genetic material has been altered using techniques in genetics generally known as recombinant DNA technology” Science Daily (2012).
Since prehistoric times, agriculture has been bred selectively in order to select for traits that would be more desirable. This type of genetic modification has proven to be quite successful and has been used for many generations. Presently scientists are genetically modifying organisms in order to produce more desirable traits. Genetically modified organisms (GMO), are organisms that have a genome that has been engineered in a laboratory in order to produce desired biological products or to express a desired physiological trait (Diaz 2014). Scientists are able to accomplish this type of genetic modification through recombinant DNA technology and reproductive cloning. Reproductive cloning uses technology to produce offspring of an organism that is genetically identical to the parent. They do this by transferring a donor nucleus into the enucleated cytoplasm of the host egg (Diaz 2014). Recombinant DNA technology involves inserting one or more individual genes into the DNA of a separate species (Diaz 2014). GMOs have become widely used in many different areas of society, three of which are animals, agriculture, and for the advancement of human health. However, this scientific advancement does have disadvantages and is a highly controversial topic for many counties.
Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are organisms of living things whose DeoxyriboNucleic Acid (DNA) has been changed by humans using the techniques of genetic technology. The tool for creating a GMO is called the recombinant DNA technique. Which is combining strands of DNA that come from different sources to create a new DNA molecule that has a dissimilar combination of genes which occurs naturally. The newly created DNA is then inserted into a living organism such as plants, animals or an egg or sperm that will result in a genetically modified organism. Genetically modified (GM) crop plants, such as
New advancements in genetic engineering allows scientists to modify and replace genes. This practice is mostly evident in crops. DNA modification causes crops to grow larger and faster while being resistant
Transgenic species are produce by genetic engineering. Genetic engineering involves the process of taking samples of one species genes/DNA and transferring it into a new host cell, this cell containing the DNA will then grow into the new cell creating a transgenic species. DNA samples can also be inserted into the new species by acting as a virus or by using a micro-pipette injection. Transgenic species are mainly used in fruit and vegetables to prevent pests eating the food supply. Genetic engineering is also used for commercial purposes. One example of successful transgenic species is a strawberry plant with a salmon gene inserted into it, the salmon gene helps the strawberries grow in a colder environment. These crops are also known as GMO’s (genetically modified organisms).
If you think that’s all gmos are capable of then you haven’t seen anything yet. For farmers, pesticides and insects can be real troublesome. Scientists have found a way to make crops resistant to pesticides. You read that right crops that are resistant to pesticides. Even though all crops are resistant yet cotton, soybean, rapeseed, and maize are.
In the past, 90 percent of our nation lived on a family farm and either raised or grew their own food; however, today only two percent of the United States population produces food. Back then, one farmer could only feed around twenty people, and today that one farmer can adequately feed over 150 people. With all of the technological advances over time, it is truly amazing to see how farm agriculturalists have come. Agriculture went from horse drawn equipment to tractors that can drive themselves with the touch of a button. Farmers can now use a breeding method where they genetically modify a crops DNA, which causes quite the commotion among consumers, but can be very beneficial to the producers.
Over the past few years agriculture has revolutionized where you see growth in the biotechnology industry. Historically, there have been many different ways to grow and produce plant and animal crops. It has developed from organic farming to large-scale farming, and then to breeding and cloning plants and animals. However sometime in the late 1800’s scientists discovered DNA. Then later in the 1900’s they began to discover and identify specific genes for particular traits, and before long knew how to separate a gene from the rest of any organism’s DNA strand. These discoveries and methods led to the start of something new, where geneticists and researchers have discovered different genetic technologies that have led to altering genes of DNA in organisms, to create new plant and animal species. This is called genetic engineering. “Genetic engineering is the deliberate alteration of an organism’s genes in order to give it new abilities” Genetically modified (GM) foods, also known as genetically engineered foods, are the latest contribution of genetic engineering technology. These foods are made by inserting the genes of one species into the DNA of another species. Genetically modified foods were first introduced in the market place in the mid-1990s after years of research. Genetic engineering has many benefits but there are potential
Many varieties of genetically engineered crops have been designed to decrease the need for chemicals, particularly pesticides. Herbicide-tolerant varieties are among the most widely used type of genetically-modified crop, which enables farmers to use a single herbicide to eradicate weeds rather than rely on a cocktail of pesticides and herbicides. Eliminating weeds in this fashion also decreases the need for soil tillage, which can negatively impact soil ecology. (Ford,
There are numerous procedures that can produce genetically modified organisms. One procedure that can move genes to produce desirable traits for both animals and plants is called selective breeding. For example a particular plant is chosen as it has the desired gene is bred to produce more plants with the similar desirable trait. Recently with the aid of advancing technology a new technique was used which is applied in the laboratory where the genes that articulates the preferred attribute is physically moved or added to a new plant to enhance the attribute in that plant. This process involving technology is called transgenic, which means transfer of genes and usually this procedure is executed on crops to help them become insect or
Genetic engineering has to do with manipulating organisms and DNA to create body characteristics. The practice of genetic DNA has shown an increasing amount over the past years. The process of genetic enhancement involves manipulating organisms by using biotechnologies. The technique is by removing a DNA from one life form and transferring it to another set of traits or organism. Certain barriers are conquered, and the procedure involves changing a form of cells, resulting from an improvement or developed organism. GMO which is a (Genetic Modified Organisms) is the operation done in a laboratory where DNA genetic from one particular species or animals is directly forced into another gene from an unrelated subject of plants or even animals.