What are the advantages of genetically modified plants? What are the characteristic advantages of genetically modified plants?

What are the advantages of genetically modified plants

This article introduces the advantages of genetically modified plants in the field of green plants and flowers. Next, the editor will explain in detail for you.

What are the advantages of genetically modified plants

Genetically modified plants mainly have three advantages. First, genetic modification gives plants protective traits, making these genetically modified plants slightly more resistant to diseases than normal plants. Second, genetic technology gives food special functions, effects, or flavors. After genetic modification, the taste and flavor of the crop itself will be better. Third, genetic modification improves nutrition, using biotechnology to improve the nutritional components in crops.

Genetic technology has been successful in the pharmaceutical industry and its application in agriculture is also gradually expanding. The first genetically modified variety is tobacco, which involves transferring an antiviral gene into tobacco, and China is the first country to commercialize genetically modified tobacco.

The advantages of genetically modified plants

However, for a long time, doubts and criticisms about genetically modified crops have never stopped. In fact, genetically modified crops mainly have three advantages.

Giving plants protective traits

Plants and pests have co-evolved for nearly four billion years to form their own defense systems. In order to cultivate and increase crop yields, humans first obtained substances from nature to control pests and diseases, and then synthesized insecticides and antiviral drugs artificially.

Using biotechnology to combine traits allows crops to have two or more protective traits, which can simplify farmers' labor and increase yield. For example, modern corn has varieties that are resistant to herbicides and pests, soybeans have varieties that take both into account, and there are pest-resistant cotton varieties among cash crops.

Giving food special functions, effects, or flavors

A typical example is the first genetically modified large tomato, which has the characteristic of delayed ripening. The United States is developing low-acrylamide French fries, which can reduce the amount of acrylamide, a carcinogen produced in fried potatoes.

Through genetic modification, apples can be made to reduce browning by silencing polyphenol oxidase, and there are also developments to increase gluten content. There is also a series of vegetables that extend shelf life, make fruits more flavorful, and delay ripening.

Pink pineapple

The pink pineapple launched in October 2020 is a net-famous fruit cultivated by Del Monte, a famous American fruit company, for 16 years. Although it looks like a common pineapple, it has a girlish pink color when cut open, as if it were crossed with watermelon.

Actually, it has been genetically modified to reduce the enzyme content that converts the lycopene naturally present in pineapples into yellow carotene. This allows the pineapple to retain more lycopene and produce less carotene, making the fruit flesh pink like watermelon.

This pineapple is not only prettier, juicier, and sweeter in taste, but due to the strong antioxidant properties of lycopene, it can also protect the cardiovascular system and has higher nutritional value.

Improving nutrition

Using biotechnology to improve the nutritional content of crops is also very important. For example, the successfully developed genetically modified Golden Rice has transferred carotenoids into rice, allowing children in poor areas to improve their vitamin A deficiency. China's independently developed phytic acid corn is also a variety that improves nutrition.

Genetically modified corn

Phosphorus is a nutrient element for animals and exists in the form of phytate in corn feed, which cannot be digested and utilized by livestock. Phytase can convert it into usable inorganic phosphorus.

Transgenic corn with phytase gene solves the problem of phosphorus in phytate being unusable, improves the nutrition of corn feed, reduces animal phosphorus excretion pollution, and is very environmentally friendly.

Genetically modified soybeans

The high oleic acid soybeans already on the market in the United States are also for improving nutrition. This edible oil increased with high oleic acid can replace hydrogenated oil and avoid the problem of trans fats.

This type of genetically modified crops that improve nutrition can directly benefit consumers, making them easier to accept than the first-generation of genetically modified products and better appreciate their benefits.

The above is the full content of the advantages of genetically modified plants, hoping to be helpful to green plant enthusiasts!