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Are Genetically Modified Plants Useful and Safe?
Author(s) -
Weil JacquesHenry
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
iubmb life
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.132
H-Index - 113
eISSN - 1521-6551
pISSN - 1521-6543
DOI - 10.1080/15216540500092252
Subject(s) - genetically modified organism , genetically modified crops , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , abiotic component , genetically engineered , transgene , gene , biochemistry , ecology
So far, plants have been genetically modified essentially to achieve resistance to herbicides, or to pathogens (mainly insects, or viruses), but resistance to abiotic stresses (such as cold, heat, drought, or salt) is also being studied. Genetically modified (GM) plants with improved nutritional qualities have more recently been developed, such as plants containing higher proportions of unsaturated fatty acids (omega‐3 and omega‐6) in their oil (to prevent cardio‐vascular diseases), or containing β‐carotene as in the golden rice (to prevent vitamin A deficiency). Possible risks for human health (such as the production of allergenic proteins), or for the environment (such as the appearance of superweeds as a result from gene flow), should be carefully studied, and a science‐based assessment of benefits vs. risks should be made on a csae by case basis, both for GM plants and for plants obtained by conventional breeding methods.IUBMB Life, 57: 311‐314, 2005