GMOs: BENEFITS AND RISKS

Dipendra Shahi

What’s in name??

GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISM

Population explosion

Shrinking land

Soil degradation

Climate change

MalnutritionBio-fuel

Traditional breeding practices are exhausted

and

restrained by species boundary

Traits engineered to crops

TRANSGENICS

Insect pest resistance• Stem borer Rice Sorghum Maize• Pod Borer Pigeon pea Chick pea• Boll worm Cotton• Fruit borer Tomato Brinjal• Aphid Brassica

Drought stressBrassica

Delayed ripening Tomato

Fungal resistanceRiceBanana

Virus resistance

CottonSoybeanTomatoPotatoBananaPapayaCassava

TARGET CROPS AND TRAITS

DELAYED RIPENING

FLAVR SAVR TOMATO

Flavr Savr Tomato Traditional Tomato

Ripens on the vine resulting in fuller flavour

Harvested while it is still green and firm.

Ripe and Increased Flavour.

Ripe but decreased flavour.

Supermarket

Sprayed with ethylene after shipping to induce ripening.

ENHANCED NUTRITION

GOLDEN RICE

GOLDEN RICE

Alleviate vitamin A deficiency

Insect Resistant Crops

Bt cotton

Insect infestation on Bt and non-Bt cotton bolls

Bt corn

Bt brinjal

Non Bt maize

Herbicide Resistance

Weed-infested soybean plot soybeans after herbicidetreatment.

Disease resistance

Papaya resistant to papaya ringspot virus

Biopharmaceuticals from crops

Recombinant Tobacco used to make serum albumin

Banana Vaccine

Hepatitis B virus (HBV)

• Possible to create many varieties of useful plants

• Preserve and increase the biodiversity

A point of optimism

Current research

Insert Selenium (a proven cancer fighter)into edible plants

Astragalus bisulcatus naturally accumulates selenium

Basis for creating value added traits

Combat hunger and famine

GENETIC ENGINEERING AND GMOs

NEGATIVE ASPECTS

Should we play God??

Interference with God’s creation

God’s ©Patent

Are we blurring the lines among the species???

Creation of chimera

What are long term environmental effects???

• Gene escape

• Gene flow to non-GM organisms

• Gene transfer to wild or weedy relatives

• Problems for biodiversity

• Poisoning nature

• Unforeseen future problems

What are Potential health risks to human???

• Allergies

• Antibiotic resistance

• Production of new toxins

• Diminished nutritional quality

• Creation of new, more virulent viruses

Argument

Cultivation of few H Y V of crops resulted in huge loss in genetic diversity

Use of genetic engineering in agriculture might lead to erosion of species diversity

GREEN AND GENE REVOLUTION LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY

Green Revolution

Gene revolution

Genetic engineering is a crude and imprecise operation andconsequently is inherently hazardous to health and bio-diversity.The insertion of a foreign gene into the host genome is a randomprocess, not under the control of genetic engineer.

Dr. Wae Wan Ho

VS

•Monopoly of biotech companies over the staple crops

•Questions about equity and sustainability

•Genetically engineered crops could devastate third world agriculture

Ethical issues

Will genetic engineering respect the rights of third world people who have promoted biodiversity over thousands of years??or Will it facilitate Bio-piracy?

Ethical issues

• The fundamental question is whether genetic engineering respects the intrinsic rights of other creatures??

• What unintended personal, social, and cultural consequences could result?

• Who will have access to these technologies??

• Will these interventions redefine what it means to be normal??

Ethical issues

Do not have complete faith on transgenic

If no trials conducted

Widening the framework for ethics

• Essential to develop an appropriate ethical framework for thisnew and powerful technology which can literally transformnot just human life but life itself

• Thorough debate on potential benefits and possiblenightmares

OTHER ISSUES

• Process or Product??

• Necessity or convenience??

• Tip of the iceberg??

• Optimism or skepticism??

• Public opinion and Media hype??

IS NEPAL READY FOR GMOs??