Abstract The purpose of this study is to explore new invasive scientific ways to combat hunger around the world. More broadly put: countries that are drought struck, or are soon to be because of global warming. This study will implement genes from a specific family of plants called the “resurrection plants” into staple angiosperm crops. These resurrection plants share a common ancestor with all angiosperm plants. The same genes that control desiccation tolerance while a plant is a seed are the same genes that resurrection plants are using in their tissue. Resurrection plants can lose 95% of their water and regenerate to full health when moisture is applied. These plants are unique in the way that they can commute from a dormant stage with …show more content…
Drought resistant meaning a plant that can lose 80% of its water and regenerate and continue growing when moisture is present. We can achieve this by implementing resurrection plant genes into the world’s current plants. Flowering plants or scientifically known as angiosperms are plants that have flowers, and produce a seed within a carpel. Angiosperms are a big group of plants, most trees, grasses, shrubs and herbaceous plants are all under that angiosperm family. The first flowering plants were dated to be from around one hundred and sixty million years ago. All angiosperm plants have a common ancestor. Meaning that all angiosperm plants evolved from a single common ancestor which they inherited much of their biochemistry from. The common ancestor is the link in the genetic codes between its far off modern day angiosperm decedents. The genes for surviving severe desiccation are usually only expressed when a plant is in the seed. It is commonly known that seeds are built to survive extreme environments. They are also almost non reliant on water, only needing to retain 8%-10% of moisture. Only resurrection plants retain the expression until maturation. By using these genes that are already present in the plant but just not expressed while in adult form, we will be able to produce a new species of crop that are drought resistant staple foods. This will not be the cure to all of the world’s hunger, but it will effectively move us one step closer to
In this study, rice will be exposed to osmotic stress condition, whereby it will show: a higher accumulation of proline and soluble sugars, reduced levels of MDA and minimized water loss rate compared to wild types of plant. Still, the stress-responsive gene OsHsfC1b will exhibit a significantly higher expression levels in rice than in transgenic plants under similar environmental conditions. Although OsHsfC1b has been evaluated purposely for its significance in drought
From a diagram of an idealized flower, correctly label the following structures and describe the function of each structure:
All around the world people are moving to find a better life, over 3.3% of the world's population are international migrants. People are always going through a rebirth from when they get a job to becoming a family or when they move. Rebirth is not always a big change, but it always changes life some way or the other. The characters in The Bean Trees lives are constantly changing during the whole book. Throughout The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver, there is a common theme of rebirth that the characters Taylor, Turtle, Estevan and Esperanza all experience.
Modifying plants is not a new concept. "For centuries, gardeners and farmers have been crossbreeding different species of
Genetically modified crops have become increasingly popular in the last few decades. Despite the fact that they are a controversial topic: we see GMOs as a growing technology that if regulated and tested will have great benefits when it comes to conserving water. One of the ways they are modifying genes is to make the plant more drought tolerant and take less water to germinate. In addition, to produce a better yield while practicing dry land farming and controlled irrigation water conservation. There are studies trying to modify the plants so that they can increase the rate of photosynthesis and depth of root structure. Scientists are also trying to decrease the rate of water loss through transpiration. “Corn, the crop with the highest global production, annually sustains losses on the order of 15 percent of potential yield attributable to drought. As the climate changes as a consequence of global warming, some climates will become more arid, increasing drought and resulting in up to 10 million more lost tons of maize per year. It has been estimated that 25 percent of these losses may be resolved by genetically modifying maize to be more drought tolerant.” (Clive.
Robert Deal from Emory University is studying to learn about plants and their memory of stress. When plants face dry weather, their stomata shrink to reduce water loss. When a similar situation places the plants under stress again, the plant seems to recall this experience and recovers quicker. Robert Deal, who studies genetics and biochemistry, hopes to utilize this trait and pinpoint its gene. If he can locate and activate the genetic material associated with this memory, he believes he can speed up the process and cause plants to have the gene activated at all times, allowing the plants to withstand drier and warmer temperatures.
Used since the dawn of human domestication of agriculture and livestock, the basic premise of artificial selection involved early farmers selectively saving seeds to breed plants with certain characteristics (Evolution of Corn, n.d.). In more recent times, the aim has shifted from simply creating sturdier, tastier fruits and vegetables to being able to create as much food possible in order to meet human demands. Shaped by our modern global economy’s demand of efficiency, rising industrialization over the 20th century, and growing population, agricultural practices of genetic manipulation of crops has grown immensely over the last century. Taking a step beyond selectively saving choice seeds, the discovery of “hybrid vigor” by genetic engineers lead to farmers being able to interbreed
The Svalbard Global Seed Vault provides a safety net for the declining level of agricultural diversity around the world by saving “duplicates” of seeds in a highly protected environment. This is important because humans are becoming increasingly dependent on a decreasing number of crops, which makes us vulnerable to harvest failures, and could be a factor in the rise of diabetes and heart disease.
For the last several decades, the world has been plagued by widespread starvation and poverty. Economies are failing in numerous countries, and developing nations struggle to feed their inhabitants. As a result of the world’s mounting overpopulation, food has become scarce and resources are rapidly dwindling. However, modern science has provided a solution: agricultural biotechnology. Genetically engineered crops represent the bright future of agriculture. Crops like cotton, corn, and soybeans can have genes inserted or deleted into their cell membranes; this modification facilitates pest and virus resistance, drought tolerance, and even provides nutritional enhancement. Genetically altered crops produce much higher
Crops are generally modified for one of three reasons: to improve food quality, to make farming more productive, and to create medicine. In each area, there is enormous potential for benefit, but there is also great risk . The first aim of genetic modification is to improve the quality of crops. By toying with the genetic makeup of a plant, scientists can, among other things, increase the size of its fruit and improve its resilience in difficult conditions. These advances have led to greater food accessibility throughout the world; indeed, genetically-modified crops are a tangible potential solution for world hunger. However, some genetically-modified crops were created with much less noble intention. Some genetically-modified seed is constructed with genetic use restriction technology – abbreviated as “GURT” – which prevents seed from germinating. Ethical justification for genetic modification exists if the main aim of such technology is to construct superior quality crops, but utilizing GURT is socially irresponsible and not conducive to improving food quality.
Regardless of genetic innovation, farmers have been actively selective in choosing the seeds and plants that will produce a more fruitful crop for up to 10,000 years (livinghisory farms). Genetic modification has only magnified this process “ Recently what has changed is that scientists began selecting productive traits at the individual gene level and controlling the placement of genes in new crops” (Livinghistoryfarms). Thus, making it easier to manipulate the crop characteristic to better suit the needs and demands of agriculture. In its most humble beginnings, GMO was proclaimed a possible solution
Welcome to the age of an agricultural revolution as everyday biotechnology continues to bring innovation to human’s most basic needs – food. Food is essential to any living organism, providing energy for our production and nutrients for our protection. Without this fundamental element, life cannot exist. Our lack to produce our own energy, like plants, causes us to become dependent on others for survival. Humans existence is attributed only to the million years of evolution our food source underwent to sustain our survival. Changing the primary nature of our food source, whether it is plant or animal, directs mankind in a dangerous future if our food dependency is permanently hampered. Welcome to the age of an agricultural devolution
All plants are subjected to a multitude of stresses throughout their life cycle. Depending on the species of plant and the source of the stress, the plant will respond in different ways. When a certain tolerance level is reached, the plant will eventually die. When the plants in question are crop plants, then a problem arises. The two major environmental factors that currently reduce plant productivity are drought and salinity (Serrano, 1999), and these stresses cause similar reactions in plants due to water stress. These environmental concerns affect plants more than is commonly thought. For example, disease and insect loss typically decrease crop yields by less than ten percent, but severe
Among the millions of species that inhabit the planet, only twenty species provide ninety percent of the human food supply (Montgomery 2000). Since the introduction of genetic engineering, however, livestock and crops have a more productive future. Transfer of engineered genes from organism to organism occurs through hybridization, conjugation, and transformation in microorganisms. By the substitution of genes into agricultural species, biodiversity can flourish to improve social and economic development. Although methods of gene and DNA implantation quickly develop advanced products, even precise genetic alterations do not ensure that the environment will remain balanced or that changes in
Additionally, the ISAAA and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) state that genetic modifications can make crops more resilient in unstable environments and capable of surviving natural disasters. For example, golden rice that is being developed in the Philippines is not only being modified to contain vitamin A, but to also be more resilient in dry seasons and typhoon seasons and to be able to survive natural disasters such as floods droughts. The benefits that these modifications provide such as increased yields and resilience to natural disasters and extreme environments may also have the biggest impacts for developing countries, as such areas tend to heavily rely on agriculture. With these genetic modifications providing disaster resistant crops and increased harvests it creates a more productive agricultural system that can provide a stable food supply to the population as the risks of crops being destroyed by natural disasters is reduced and more food can be harvested which increase profits for farmers, and food security for developing countries. (C) As shown by these genetic modifications the growing of GMO’s can create a more productive and sustainable agriculture not only for developing countries but for the rest of the world with modified traits that can provide increased crop yields using less land and crops that are resilient to natural disasters.