Reyes, Ronald Allan L.

BSLM 2B

GMO CROPS/ LIVE STOCKS DESCRIPTION IMAGE ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES

1. CORN This crop is used to produce many  Is that it has a higher level  Is that changes to the
different ingredients used in of hardiness. structure of the plant occur
processed foods and drinks,  It can be resilient in difficult in a way that would not
including high-fructose corn syrup growing conditions, such necessarily occur through
and corn starch. But the bulk of the as drought, or be able to natural development.
GM corn grown around the world is withstand an infestation of  Scientists have been able
used to feed livestock. weeds or pests to still to infuse animal DNA,
produce a good yield. pesticides, herbicides, and
 That allows croplands to other items into the plant
become more consistent in structure and that offers the
what they can produce. potential of future health
concerns.
 It could be a contributing
factor to antibiotic-
resistance.
2. SOYBEANS The second largest U.S. crop after  More Supply of Protein.  Fertility Issues and Infant
corn, GM soy is used primarily in  Lower Costs. Mortality.
animal feed and in soybean oil—  Many Uses.  Changes in the Liver.
which is widely used for processed  Allergenic.
foods and in restaurant chains. In
fact, soybean oil accounts for 61%
of Americans' vegetable-oil
consumption. It's also often used to
make an emulsifier called soy
lecithin, which is present in a lot of
processed foods, including dark
chocolate bars and candy.
3. COTTON Much of GM cotton is turned into
cottonseed oil, which is used for
frying in restaurants and in
packaged foods like potato chips,
oily spreads like margarine, even
things like cans of smoked oysters.
Some parts of the plant are also
used in animal feed, and what's left
over can be used to create food
fillers such as cellulose.
4. POTATOES A new kid on the block, the
very recently approved GM crop is
resistant to bruising and may
produce less of a cancer-causing
chemical, called acrylamide, when
exposed to high heat. It has not yet
seen adoption in the food supply,
but is expected to be.
5. PAPAYA Bred to withstand ringspot virus,
which can destroy papaya plants,
these genetically engineered
'Rainbow Papayas' were first
commercially produced in the late
1990s. Much of the yield is grown
in Hawaii.
6. SQUASH Zucchini and yellow summer
squash have been commercially
available in the U.S. since the mid-
to late-'90s, though GM squash
accounts for just 25,000 acres of
farmland, by some estimates.
 Bt cotton can substantially
reduce the number of
pesticide sprayings, which
reduces worker and
environmental exposure to
chemical insecticides and
reduces energy use.
 Less pesticide better for
farmers health
 Reduces soil erosion
 Better quality potatoes
 Crop resistance
 Increased security for
papaya members
 New variant of the papaya
crop
 Keeps squash healthy
 Improves colour,
appearance, texture,
quality and flavor.
 Strong concentration of
vitamins like Bb,
manganese and
Potassium.
 High cost of Bt cotton seeds
as compared to non Bt
cotton seeds.
 Effectiveness up to 120
days, after that the toxin
producing efficiency of the
Bt gene drastically
reduces.Ineffective against
sucking pests like jassids,
aphids, whitefly etc.
 Harmful health risks
 Cause health problems for
animal eating the product
 Gene transfer may occur
between organisms
 Unknown health hazards
 Pollen of the GM strains
may fertilize neighboring
organic strains of the
papaya plant therefore
rendering them non-organic
 Can cause allergic
reactions and the mutagen
is to blame.
 No economic value
 High nutrional uptake.
7. CANOLA GM canola is used to make oil for
cooking, as well as margarine. It's
also used to produce emulsifiers
that are used in packaged foods.
By some estimates, 90% of canola
grown in the U.S. and Canada is
GM.
8. ALFALFA In a controversial decision in 2011,
the FDA approved the commercial
use of GM alfalfa that contains a
gene making it resistant to
herbicide. The crop is used mainly
as hay for cattle.
 Potential reductions of
chemical fertilizers and
pesticide
 GM crops require less
energy investment in
farming, thereby reducing
the carbon footprint.
 Higher crop yields could
offset greenhouse gas
emissions at skills similar
to win and solar energy
 Seed giant Monsanto
developed an alfalfa seed
that’s resistant to the
weedkiller Roundup, which
means alfalfa farmers can
use the chemical on the
plant, which saves time,
labor and money on
weeding.
 The genetically-modified
alfalfa seed also allows
farmers to grow more
plants per acre, which
helps keep food prices low
 The accelerated evolutions
of resistant pest population
 The majority of seeds sales
for the worlds major crops
are controlled by a few seed
companies.
 Patent protected GM seeds
have created financial and
social challenges for many
farmers
 Organic farmers and
consumers argue that the
genetically modified plant
will cross-pollinate with the
non-genetically modified
counterpart, effectively
"contaminating" the organic
crop.
 Only about 1 percent of the
country's total alfalfa crop is
organic, the risk is high that
there will be cross-
pollination.
 the organic alfalfa contains
even a trace of genetically-
modified material, it can’t
be labeled as organic
9. APPLES Another newly approved crop, this
apple from a Canadian biotech
company does not brown even
after it's been sliced. It recently
received FDA approval. The
agency said it is safe to eat, which
means they may appear on
supermarket shelves.
10. SUGARBEETS More than half the granulated
sugar in the United States comes
from GM sugar beets, which have
been in production since 2008.
Though their use was temporarily
halted due to safety
concerns, production resumed in
2011.
 stay fresh for much longer
than an ordinary apple
would.
 The modified apple will not
brown or rot nearly as
quickly as a regular apple
would.
 bagged apples will no
longer need to be washed
in antioxidants which will
help to restore their natural
taste.
 tolerance to crops
 adaptation to climate and
location factors
 spend less money
producing more foods
 the ability to choose the
gene to manipulate they are
unaware of the proper
placement of the gene into
the DNA.
 incapable of determining
the long term affects of
genetically modified food
 cannot be sure if these
changes are healthy for the
human body.
 could cause a sugar
shortage
 disappointing crop yields
and doubt over the
environment benefits of
reduce tillings
 Creates BT resistance
bugs.