Tag: chemicals

The Astonishing Results of Bt Eggplants Research

Scientists from the University of the Philippines Los Baños joined their forces with a research team working at the Cornell University in order to investigate the effects of Bt eggplants on the surrounding species that are not the primary target of this insecticide. The research itself lasted for three planting seasons and it monitored the surrounding biosphere of both Bt eggplants and non-Bt eggplants. The results proved that species which are not targeted by Bt were not affected in any way.

The study was published a couple of weeks ago and it confirmed the previous findings. Similar researches were done with cotton and corn, and they also indicated that there was no interaction with the non-targeted species. However, these studies did not cover the entire three seasons. The results from Philippines explored the long term influence of this insecticide on the surrounding nature. Bt has been around since 1990s but for some reason it wasn’t a common subject in scientific studies of video porno.

What is Bt?

Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) is a microorganism commonly used for protecting crops from various pests and insects. It can be introduced either to soil or to a crop itself. It was the first human-made insecticide that was approved for general use in the United States. Bt became very popular among farmers all around the world in the last two decades.

The positive effects of this finding

Dr. Anthony Shelton, a professor working at the Cornell University confirmed that these results will ensure both farmers and consumers that Bt eggplants are safe for environment, as well as for the customers. As a matter of fact, Bt eggplant will be very beneficial for the people living in Philippines because these plants are typically sprayed with toxic insecticides during the growing season. However, Bt eggplants do not require the same chemicals and they still remained resistant to the targeted pests.

Shoot borer pest is the most common troublemaker for farmers on Philippines and they use a variety of highly toxic insecticides in order to keep it away from their crops. Bt eggplant will completely change the way eggplants are cultivated in Philippines because there will be no need to spend additional funds for a wide range of pesticides. Integrated pest management is the future of agriculture because it will keep the surrounding ecosystem intact.

It is well known that pesticides can destroy the organisms that are essential for keeping the natural environment intact. These life forms help with the pollination of the crops, as well as with decomposition of different matters that keep the soil healthy and fertile. By removing these dangerous chemicals from the equation, you will get increased harvest productivity, as well as healthier crops.

Therefore, once they apply this technology to their fields, farmers will decrease the cost of the production which will lead to numerous consumer benefits. After all, they will be able to buy safer and healthier eggplants that cost less. The reduction of the standard pesticides will make the produce less hazardous for human health. It is really a win-win situation for both sides.

Genetically modified plants

    The aspect of genetic engineering is not something new. For a century now, farmers have depended on selective breeding techniques and cross-fertilization to alter plants and animals to give rise to particular traits that are deemed desirable. This is aimed at improvement of food production as well as human health hence creating a food secure and disease free planet. In this case, the use of biotechnology is central to achieving these goals both in the agricultural and medical system. The use of these biotechnological techniques in agriculture includes bio-fertilization; marker assisted breeding, tissue culture as well as transgenic.

    For instance, scientists have been able to utilise the traditional fermentation methods in the process of transforming grains into bread and beer; and milk to form cheese thereby contributing to food security and alleviation of poverty. Transgenic applications, on the other hand, involve the process of modifying the genetic makeup of one organism by introducing a gene of interest from another organism. This technique has been widely exploited in the modification of a wide range of plants, animals, and micro-organisms. The products of these genetically engineered plants are used as vaccines, drugs, foods, food additives, among other purposes. The biotechnological modification of these plants may be beneficial in molecular diagnostics, drug delivery approaches, and bioinformatics among other techniques beneficial to humans. Additionally, this can be used as a way of bioremediation of the surrounding environment.

GM Crops

Bt Cotton

    Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is a bacterial toxin naturally occurring in the soil. This gene has been isolated for production of the bacterium that in turn is used for genetic modification of cotton and maize. The main reason for this kind of change is to increase their resistance to pests. Since 1997, farmers in South Africa have relied on cotton growing for their upkeep. However, since the introduction of the Bt cotton that showed pest resistance traits, over 70 % of the farmers were growing Bt cotton by the end of 2003. This led to a yield increase of over 20 % while limiting the amount of chemicals used in the control of pests.

Potatoes

    Many poor communities in developing countries cannot afford vaccines and even the local clinics in remote areas do not have the infrastructure for the appropriate storage of the vaccines. This poses a significant challenge to safeguarding the health of millions of children and adults across the globe. Scientists have exploited potatoes for the development of edible cholera vaccines against the deadly cholera disease causing severe diarrhea in patients. Part of the cholera bacterium can be recognized by the human immune system and thus could be used for development of vaccines. This gene was transferred from the bacterium and engineered into potatoes so that it is consumed as a vaccine.

    However, the primary challenge is the fact that people do not consume raw potatoes. The hope thus has been that even in cooked potatoes, the vaccine is still active and thus upon consumption, the vaccine triggered the immune system to produce antibodies against them and thus offering protection against cholera infections. This is cost effective, less labor involved and the fact that the delivery system of the vaccine into the body is not invasive.

Rice

    Research has been done in the creation of genetically modified rice with high levels of beta-carotene. This was an inspiration from the bright yellow daffodil and the mechanism it employs in the production of beta-carotene. There was evidence that rice has the molecules that are required for manufacture of bête-carotene but does not have the enzyme that rearranges in the kernels. Can rice be engineered with this gene to make it work? Researchers managed to insert the genes into two Agro-bacteriums. The bacteria were then infected on the rice, and soon Golden rice was produced carrying the three genes. Selection of the golden rice was quite easy because the rice kernels had a golden glow thus providing sufficient Vitamin A for a human health.

    Another rice project focused on improving the efficiency of CO2 to boost its productivity. This involved relying on the photosynthetic pathway of rice. The gene derived from corn was transferred into rice for the CO2 pump protein synthesis. This led to the faster growth rate of rice and over 35 % lusher grain production due to efficient utilization of CO2. This technique can also be used in the future on such plants as potatoes, wheat, and oats among other cereals that have poor CO2 efficiency.

Maize

    Years ago, farmers discovered the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) infected and killed the caterpillars that often destroyed their crops. This bacterium produces a protein that is not harmful until it transforms in the stomach of the caterpillars due to protein lock action. Scientists, therefore, came up with a way of inserting the gene that codes for the BT protein into crops such as maize to prevent destruction by caterpillars. The gene codes for the protein in the leaves of the plant and hen the caterpillars feed on the leaves, they die. This is a pesticide-resistance strategy thus protecting crops from pest destruction. This approach gave rise to GM maize resistant to parasites and thus ensuring food security in different parts of the world.

    Many people believe that GM plants are quite unnatural and thus the reason for the heated disputes and debates across the media houses around the globe. However, there are some that believe that the most promising approach is through sustainable organic farming rather than the gene revolution technological approaches. The aspect of genetic engineering of plants has paved the way for improved nutrition content of foods, improved resistance to pests by crops as well as drought resistance, It is, therefore, important that we all stop debating and tap into the DNA language of genes. This is by only learning the most beneficial ways of practicing plant genomics to catalog all genes that possess desirable traits while eliminating harmful genes. The results of which is promising in leading to the production of safe foods for human consumption, food security and poverty eradication.