1982

Genetic Engineering of Crops

People have been manipulating the genes of other organisms since prehistoric times, for example via selective breeding methods designed to increase the level of domestication in many animals, or via similar methods designed to enhance the hardiness and yield of agricultural crops. These kinds of genetic engineering methods rely on the exploitation and enhancement of naturally occurring variations in animal behavior or plant size/robustness, and thus represent a sort of human-guided method of natural selection.

As the human population has grown since (and partly as a result of) the Industrial Revolution, and especially as that population could reach more than 10 billion by the middle of this century, traditional “natural” methods of genetic engineering have not proven adequate to meet the world’s demand for food. This reality, combined with dramatic increases in our understanding of microbiology starting in the early twentieth century, has fueled the advancement of modern biotechnology—the use of living organisms to make or modify products or processes.

A globally important application of biotechnology is the artificial genetic engineering of agricultural crops, in order to increase their tolerance to pests, pesticides, diseases, and/or environmental extremes like drought, as well as to increase their shelf life after harvesting and/or their nutritional value as food products. The first genetically modified organism (GMO) with agricultural applications was an antibiotic-resistant tobacco plant, developed in the laboratory in 1982 by researchers at the Monsanto chemical company. Additional laboratory and field testing of other modified versions of tobacco throughout the 1980s produced crops resistant to insects and herbicides. Farmers around the world were quick to adopt the technology as it was applied to a variety of crops, because crop yields were increased on average by more than 20 percent, pesticide use was decreased by more than 35 percent, and thus farm profits were increased dramatically.

Genetic engineering has certainly helped to feed the world’s growing population. While the scientific consensus is that GMO foods are safe to eat, much of the public is skeptical. Some nations regulate the cultivation or importation of GMO crops heavily, and some ban or restrict them outright. Even scientific advocates agree that much work remains to be done, for example in proving that GMO crops and foods are environmentally safe in the long run.

Examples of unusually colored and shaped maize from Latin America that is being genetically combined with domestic US corn crops to help increase their genetic diversity.