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Although selective breeding works, it is slow and imprecise because it involves mixing thousands of genes from two plants and hoping for the best. With genetic engineering, scientist can improve crops by introducing a copy of specific gene needed to produce the desired trait. Once introduced, the selected genes acts like any other gene- it provides instructions for making a protein. The protein then determines a characteristic in the genetically modified plant or animal. In short, the process has been speeded up and refined. Farmers no longer need to wait patiently for breeding to yield improved crops and animals, nor must they even respect natural lines of reproduction among species. Laboratory scientist can now copy genes from any organism-plant, animal, or microbe. Their work is changing not only the way farmers plant, fertilize, and harvest their crops, but also the ways the food industry processes food and consumers receive nutrients, phytochemicals4, and drugs. .
Current Benefits of Biotechnology.
• Disease resistance and reduced agriculture inputs:.
Crops like papayas, strengthened to resist disease, are beneficial to the environment because less chemical spray is required to protect them from harmful viruses. .
• Improved nutrient composition:.
Genetic engineering can also improve the nutrient com-position of foods. Soybeans may be implanted with a gene that upgrades soy protein to a quality approaching that of milk. Corn may be modified to contain lysine and tryptophan, its two limiting amino acids. Soybean and canola plants can be genetically modified to alter the composition of their oils, making them richer in the heart-healthy monounsaturated fatty acids5. "Golden rice," which has received genes from a daffodil and a bacterium that enable it to make beta-carotene, offers great promise in correcting vitamin A deficiency worldwide. .
• Tolerance to pesticide, herbicides and increased yields:.
