What are transgenic plants and examples

We increasingly hear the term "transgenic plants" but do you know what they mean and what they are used for? The scientific community, in its desire to improve the quality of life of humans, has developed, through Biotechnology, this type of plants.

Its objective is none other than to maintain the genetic information of the plants. It seems simple, but in reality it is a function as necessary as it is complex; Thanks to this scientific advance, today we can enjoy higher quality foods or much more precise medicines to cure diseases, among other examples.

Since, we want to help you understand what transgenic plants are, so next we show you a complete guide of what transgenic plants are with examples, photos and explanations.

What are transgenic plants?

A transgenic plant is, fundamentally, one that has been genetically altered . The origin of transgenic plants, however, is not found in scientists, but rather this gene transfer occurs in nature itself. The bacterium "agrobacterium tumefaciens", found in soils around the world, is responsible for natural genetic crosses since the beginning of time.

For example, in nature, when a plant suffers a cut or wound, the bacteria inserts itself into it and transfers its genes. The procedure that uses this bacterium is the same one used by scientists today.

The difference between the two methods is that, when a natural transfer is made, not only the gene that is needed is transmitted, but also other unwanted genes are inevitably transmitted. On the other hand, the varieties of transgenic plants created by genetic engineering have the advantage of including only the specific gene that is required, so that the plant can keep all its genetic information without differences. Before proceeding, you may want to take a look at this article on The parts of a plant.

What is transgenic agriculture: benefits and disadvantages

Now that we have seen the definition of transgenic and we know that it is a word that refers to those living beings that have been genetically altered, we can talk about transgenic agriculture.

This type of agriculture has caused much controversy in recent years, because although there are many people who defend the need for the so-called "green revolution", others do not agree with the genetic alteration of crops. Let's see, below, a list of some benefits and drawbacks that can be linked to agriculture and transgenic crops:

Benefits of transgenics

• Security: those who are in favor of GM foods often argue that it is a very effective tool to protect crops and know exactly what the different products carry.
• Greater amount of food: the second fundamental benefit of agriculture and GM foods is that they are a great ally against poverty, because they can produce larger quantities of food with some speed. This, undoubtedly, is closely linked to the reduction of production costs, so these products can be available to everyone.
• Benefits for the environment: thanks to transgenic agriculture, the use of highly aggressive insecticides for the land and for the environment is significantly reduced.

Disadvantages of transgenics

• Problems for health: many people against this agriculture argue that, in the long term, these GM foods can be very harmful to health. This is mainly due to the fact that modified foods usually contain antibiotics and dangerous substances that can trigger unexpected diseases in our body.
• Loss of naturalness: when we talk about the alteration of certain crops by genetic engineering, we can not stop talking about the qualities of those foods that have not been modified; that is, they maintain their naturalness. These foods have been treated with less toxic and non-polluting substances and, therefore, they are undamaged foods.

How transgenic plants are created

Biotechnologists use various techniques to mimic the natural process of transgenesis . These are some of these techniques:

• First, there are physical methods such as biolistics, which consists in the direct transfer of genes by means of metal microspheres inserted directly into the cell that must be modified.
• There are, also, biological methods . With this technique, what you must do is select a vector that transmits the gene, be it a virus or a bacterium. An example would be a gene that promotes transgenic plants that are tolerant to drought conditions.

The products obtained through these genetic engineering methods are tested to ensure that they are safe to interact with the environment but, in addition, the effects they can have on the human being are also evaluated. To better compare the process followed by the normal transgenic plants, do not miss this article on How plants work.

Examples of transgenic plants

There are innumerable examples of transgenic plants. In recent years, improvements have been made in the productivity of crops, foods and bioreactors, also called factories to produce medicines.

The scientists divide the transgenic plants into 3 groups :

In the first one, there are those that were conceived to benefit the production of the crops and, therefore, the farmer. For example: plants with better morphological characteristics, as well as more resistant to viruses and bacteria, to herbicides, insects and even to unfavorable environmental conditions. Among them we have:

• The papaya plants of Hawaii.
• Corn Bt.

On the other hand, there are transgenic plants that were designed to improve the nutritional characteristics of some foods, making them healthier and safer. For example:

• Golden rice with vitamin A.
• Soybean oil

The last group is related to the improvement of the plants to obtain applications in the pharmaceutical area . With them, the development of vaccines, antibodies and enzymes is encouraged:

• From the viral vector in tobacco, an antibody is obtained that contributes to the treatment of Non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
• From the potato and transgenic lettuce, a vaccine is obtained that prevents hepatitis B.

Advantages and disadvantages of transgenic plants

The generation of transgenic plants has undeniable benefits for humanity. However, there are also consequences that must be investigated so that they can be improved in successive scientific advances. These are some of the advantages and disadvantages of transgenic plants:

Advantages of transgenic plants

• It improves the resistance of plant species that can be affected by pests, pesticides, animals and climate change.
• It promotes the production of medicines and pharmacological products that collaborate with the maintenance and improvement of the health of both humans and animals.
• It generates foods with better nutritional value or adapted for specific needs of the population.
• It increases agrifood production in any medium and improves adaptation and production in hostile environments (for example, in conditions of extreme drought).
• Molecular agriculture is a cheaper method than other biological systems for the generation of proteins.

Disadvantages of transgenic plants

Like all technology, it also requires a process of trial and error to be perfected, which is why transgenic plants undergo strict controls in order to be released. However, they present resistance in sectors of society for the following reasons:

• The loss of biodiversity is a latent and difficult to control concern, because a transgenic plant can spread outside its place of cultivation. This causes the hybridization of local species, affecting the autochthonous varieties of a region.
• Resistant genes incorporated in certain crops against some species of insects may end up affecting others not related to these plants.

The debate about whether or not to continue creating transgenic plants is still open in the scientific community. We hope we have helped you understand what transgenic plants are and what impact they have on our society.