Contents

Series Foreword

Foreword by Marion Nestle

Acknowledgments

Introduction

  1   Traditional Plant Breeding

  2   Molecular Breeding

  3   Differences between Traditional and Molecular Breeding and Their Significance for Evaluating Crops

  4   Early Products in Agricultural Biotechnology

  5   Herbicide-Resistant Transgenic Crops

  6   Disease-Resistant Transgenic Crops

  7   Insect-Resistant Crops

  8   Genetic Mechanisms and GMO Risk Assessment

  9   Contested Viewpoints on the Health Effects of GMOs

10   Labeling GMOs

11   The 2016 National Academies Study

12   The Promise and Protests of Golden Rice

13   Science Studies and the GMO Conflict

14   Conclusion

Index

List of Figures

Figure 1.1
A taxonomy of living organisms

Figure 2.1
After a gene has been isolated and cloned (amplified in a bacterial vector), it must undergo several modifications before it can be effectively inserted into a plant. This simplified representation of a constructed transgene cassette contains the necessary components for successful integration and expression. The marker gene also has its own promoter and terminator.

Figure 4.1
A canonical description of DNA transcription and translation in cells.

Figure 5.1
Global increases in glyphosate-resistant weeds.

Figure 11.1
Power analysis and biological significance

List of Table

Table 5.1
Herbicide-resistant genetically engineered crops approved for sale in the United States, 1994 to 2006

List of Box

Box 7.1
The Regulatory History of StarLink Corn, 1996 to 2001