EESA01H3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Ecosystem Diversity, Herbicide, Organic Farming
Document Summary
Genetic engineering = laboratory manipulation of genetic material: creates a genetically modified (gm) organism that contains recombinant dna. Recombinant dna = dna patched together from the dna of multiple organisms. Biotechnology = material application of biological science to create products derived from organisms. Transgenic organism = organism that contains dna from another species: gm foods contain this. Transgenes = the genes that have moved between organisms. 19 biotech mega-countries growing 50,000 + ha of biotech crops. These nations are the world"s major food exporters. 6 countries, 4 crops, 2 traits (herbicide tolerance and insect resistance) account for 99% of global area devoted to gm food production. Corn, soy, cotton, papaya, rice, rapeseed (canola), potatoes, tomatoes, dairy products, peas. Though considerable concern over health and environmental impacts of. These effects are very difficult to measure or prove. More immediate and concern is over ownership of crop resources. Most industrial agriculture exists as monocultures: large single-crop plantings.
