GMOs in agriculture

What are GMOs and how are they used in agriculture? This videographic explains. VIDEOGRAPHIC

Transcript

00:00A GMO or genetically modified organism can be an animal, plant or bacteria whose genetic

00:13material has been changed.

00:17Genes present in an organism can be removed, added or altered to produce new characteristics

00:22in a process known as transgenesis or genetic modification.

00:27In agriculture, in contrast to traditional breeding techniques which apply only to the

00:31same or closely related species, transgenesis can be achieved using different species and

00:37allows the creation of new varieties, for example crossing wheat and sunflower to produce

00:42a cereal more resistant to drought.

00:48One of the main objectives of these genetic modifications has been to increase the resistance

00:52of plants to insects and raise their tolerance to particular herbicides.

00:57The four most cultivated GMO crops are cotton, soya, corn and rapeseed.

01:02They have been criticised for their potential danger to biodiversity.

01:06There have also been few studies done on their impact on human food supplies.