Traits in Agriculture

Food safety, food security and food sovereignty are the goals of sustainable agriculture in most societies. For agriculture to be sustainable there must be conservation of agricultural and wild biodiversity, soil and water management that minimizes external inputs, and technologies and practices that respect the laws of nature in all its complexities.

The measurement of productivity is then also holistic, taking into account specific food crop yields, multiple crops as opposed to monocultures, nutrition from wild biodiversity (including fisheries) and the ecological capital of soil, water and seeds. Maintaining a healthy ecosystem and environment is also essential to ensure long-term sustainable productivity.

Agricultural biotechnology, in particular gene technology, is used to introduce various traits into a range of food crops, especially the world’s staple food crops. Crops engineered for herbicide tolerance and pest resistance are the most known, commercialized GMOs. Criticisms have been made that the needs of developing countries are not served by current GM crop plants. However, there are flaws in adopting such a reductionist approach which focuses on specific traits in agriculture, when evidence points to holistic approaches to agriculture and sound ecosystem management as the way forward for sustainable agriculture.

Biosafety concerns over agricultural biotechnology include transgenic instability, the emergence of volunteers and weeds (including “superweeds”), impact on non-target species, pest resistance and transgenic contamination.

Horizontal gene transfer is increasingly recognized as a phenomenon of great concern. Gene-transfer vectors can facilitate horizontal gene transfer and recombination, leading to the spread of antibiotic resistance (through the use of antibiotic resistant marker genes) and new pathogens. An emerging concern is the potential creation of new viruses as a result of probable recombination of the promoter from cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) with other viruses. The CaMV promoter is routinely used to drive gene expression in crop plants engineered for herbicide or disease resistance.

These hazards can impact negatively on biodiversity and the environment. Human and animal health impacts of concern include toxic and allergenic effects, as well as probable new diseases.

Thus it is important and necessary to constantly deepen our knowledge and understanding of the consequences of the genetic modification techniques and processes that are used in manipulating traits in agriculture.

[Note: In a separate page on this website, entitled “Agriculture/Organisms” we post articles and reports that discuss a wider range of issues, including socio-economic aspects of biosafety, as they relate to agricultural crops.]

New Studies Suggest Glyphosate Exposure Linked to Increased Risks for Humans

Two new studies provide evidence suggesting links between exposure to glyphosate, widely used in conjunction with GM herbicide-resistant crops, and increased risks of mortality and cancer in humans. […]

Failing Efficacy of Glyphosate Shows Silver Bullets for Weed Control Don’t Exist

The short-lived success of glyphosate for weed control in North American GE corn and soybean production systems serves as a cautionary tale. […]

Bt Cotton’s Failings in India Serve as Caution for Africa

GM Bt cotton is failing in India – and African countries should take note of this when considering whether to introduce it themselves, according to a new scientific paper. […]

Bt Cotton Yields in Karnataka Stagnate Due to Pest Pressure

This study on Bt cotton farms in Karnataka found that yield sensitivity to pest pressure increased in the second decade of adoption, resulting in losses in some years. […]

GM Bt crops losing effectiveness as insect resistance to Bt toxins increases

GM Bt crops are losing their effectiveness as pest resistance to the Bt toxin insecticides has increased. […]

Overwhelming Evidence Supports Phase Out of Herbicide-Tolerant GM Crops

This report looks at the economic, environmental and social impacts of 25 years of growing herbicide-tolerant GM crops and concludes that the increasing failure of these crops provides an opportunity to phase out their use and adopt more sustainable technologies. […]

Damaging Dicamba Drift and Worsening Weed Resistance with GE Crops

The cultivation of GE crops resistant to dicamba is causing US farmers more problems from damage from dicamba drift and an increase in herbicide-resistant weeds. […]

Corn Pests Showing Signs of Resistance to Bt Toxin VIP3Aa

Early warning of field-evolved resistance of the corn earworm and bollworm to Bt toxin VIP3Aa, the only Bt toxin in transgenic corn and cotton that remains effective against some populations of this pest in the U.S. […]

Herbicide Selection Increases Antibiotic Resistance in Soil Microbial Communities

The application of three herbicides widely used with GM crops—glyphosate, glufosinate, and dicamba—has been found to increase the prevalence of antibiotic resistance genes and mobile genetic elements in soil microbiomes, potentially contributing to the global antimicrobial resistance problem in agricultural environments. […]

Glyphosate-Based Herbicides Fail Agricultural Sustainability Test

A literature review assessed glyphosate-based herbicides such as Roundup against sustainable agriculture goals and concluded that they do not reach the bar of agricultural sustainability. […]

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