Scientific Controversy

Abstract

            Genetically modified organisms (GMO) have been used in the past to alter the DNA of plants and yield better crops in agriculture. However, research and practice of GMOs in labs and on farms have produced a plethora of advantages and disadvantages. On one hand, GMOs can be modified to withstand more extreme environments, offer greater insect resistance, and less pesticide use. This can greatly increase crop yield as opposed to non-GMO crops. They can also be modified to produce greater nutritional content and help aid the fight against malnutrition over the world. On the other hand, the disadvantage of GMOs is that it can have unpredictable and potentially harmful effects on the environment if the GMO crops are not monitored. GMO crops also need to be detailed and informed because misinformation about GMOs can lead to allergies and biological reactions in the body, but lack of concrete evidence suggests further research. Despite the overwhelming advantages for GMO crops, there should be government regulations to help monitor GMOs and allow companies to be forthcoming with the public about where and how the food comes from.  

Controversy

     Genetically modified organisms (GMO) have been used in the past century primarily to study genetics and DNA through plants. But in the past couple of decades, the usage of GMO crops shifted from studying biological concepts to using them in agricultural practices. GMO crops are the result of modifying a crop’s genome and implanting certain genes to produce preferable traits in crops like maize, rice, corn, or wheat. As a result, numerous government regulations were implemented to control and regulate the usage of GMO in agricultural fields and distribution to society. However, the usage of GMO crops did not occur without pushback. Criticism of modifying crops and food sources led the public into distrusting GMO foods. While GMO crops offered advantages like higher yield rate for farmers, better resistance against insects and herbicides, greater adaptability to extreme weather conditions, and enhanced nutritional content, disadvantages of GMOs like the possibility of environmental effects on the ecosystem and plant population and health concerns of consuming GMO crops hindered its’ advancing technology. Despite the overwhelming evidence in support of GMOs, scientists and researchers continue to advocate for more testing, regulations, and oversight when using GMO crops as a potential food source and future solution.

     Genetically modified organisms have been used in agricultural practices due to their assortment of advantages. One of these advantages is the ability for GMO crops to have higher tolerance under a variety of environments. In terms of weather and climate, GMO crops are more resistant to droughts due to genes that were selected for survivability under lack of water and high temperatures. Another advantage of genetically modified organisms is the increased tolerance to insects and herbicides. By modifying crops, GMO plants can kill insects without the aid of pesticides. Because the gene of interest that produces toxins deadly to insects is implanted into the crop’s genome, the crops will be able to produce these toxins by themselves. As a result, farmers will need fewer amounts of pesticides since the crops are already defending themselves from insects. Furthermore, modifying the genome of a plant can increase its’ resistance to herbicides. Traditional crops would have to be doused with herbicides to remove unwanted vegetation. This would risk herbicides taken in by crops and later consumed by humans. When a gene of interest for herbicide resistance is placed in crops, it allows more GMO crops to survive under the presence of herbicides and intake fewer herbicides.  

     The summation of these advantages also leads to greater GMO crop yield. As a result of lower crop mortality and increased insect resistance, GMO crops can meet the demand as a food source. Conventional crops would die quicker without modifying the genome. With GMO crops, the agricultural supply will increase, allowing farmers to produce more crops successfully. As the population of humans continues to grow globally, the importance of supplying food becomes increasingly important. Land usage is equally important because agricultural lands take up large amounts of acres. However, that is not the case with GMO crops. Because GMO crops are more sustainable, they require less space to grow. “In 2012 the increase in yield attributed to GM crops for the U.S. was 47 million tons. 28, 30 Brooks and Barfoot30 estimate that to attain an equal yield increase to that delivered by GM crops between 1996 and 2012, an additional 303 million acres (123 million hectares) of conventional crops would have been required” (Oliver). More space for conventional crops would have been needed to supply the same amount. In “Why We Need GMO Crops in Agriculture”, Dr. Melvin Oliver explains how more humans could be fed by growing GMO crops in smaller spaces. The context is the increasing human population takes up not only more space but requires more food. The solution he offers is GMO crops that can utilize smaller spaces but provide greater amounts of yield. His methodology of comparing the data of past crops grown as GMO or conventional methods shows how valuable GMO crops are to the future of the growing human population.

     GMO crops can also be modified to have enhanced nutritional content as opposed to traditional crops. By implanting genes into crops, we can select traits that allow for the nutritional content in plants and have them produce more vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, or other important molecules as opposed to conventional crops. GMO crops will have greater nutritional content and better serve malnourished and impoverished areas as well. In “Pros and Cons of GMO Crop Farming”, Acker, Rahman and Cici discuss the positive effects of GMO crops and the impacts it can make but are limited based on the disadvantages and public concern. One of the problems GMO technology can solve is malnutrition in poor countries. “Vitamin A deficiency renders susceptibility to blindness and affects between 250,000 and 500,000 children annually and is very common in parts of Africa and Asia (Golden Rice Project, 2009). A crop like Golden rice could help to overcome the problem of vitamin A deficiency by at least 50% at moderate expense…” (Acker). In this example, they use a real-world case study to provide a potential solution. However, they conclude that the potential of GMO crops to solve malnourishment is limited by the opposing side. By allowing GMO crops to be used as a food source, governments and individuals can better solve problems like vitamin deficiencies in populations.

     Genetically modified organisms also have various disadvantages. Modifying the genome of crops can potentially affect the crop’s ecosystem and surrounding plants. Horizontal gene transfer occurs when surrounding conventional crops take up the modified DNA from GMO crops and can have unintended effects on the surrounding agriculture and environment. Thus, the influence of GMO crops would be out of control for farmers and wreak unintended havoc on nearby plant populations. In “Impact on environment, ecosystem, diversity, and health from culturing and using GMOs as feed and food”, the authors highlight the possibility of gene flow with GMO crops. Gene flow is the process where genes move from one population to another, whether through sexual reproduction or physically through space like horizontal gene transfer. “These reports clearly indicate that the possibility of transgene introgression in wild counterparts and sexually related species is an established fact. However, the extent of the potential risks associated with GF will primarily depend upon the frequency, amount, and biological and evolutionary importance of genes.” (Tsatsakis) The methodology for their study was done through a literature survey where they documented potential cases of horizontal gene transfer. In one such case, they found that “Amaranthus palmeri has been reported to have spread in 76 countries within a short period of 7 years” (Tsatsakis). Their study also spans several decades as they use sources from the early 2000s to late 2010s making it more reliable as they have a larger sample size. While the cases they studied did not show a direct cause and effect of GMO crops and gene flow, there was a correlation. So, the only conclusion was the possibility for external plants and environments to obtain modified DNA through horizontal gene transfer and potentially damage nearby plant populations.

     Furthermore, GMO crops are thought to affect the health of an individual when consumed as a food source. This can potentially cause allergies, diseases, or cancer in some individuals. Because crops are being modified biologically, it might alter the biological processes in our bodies. This is shown in the experiment studied by scientists in “Debate on GMOs Health Risks after Statistical Findings in Regulatory Tests”. In this article, the authors attempt to critique and identify the processes involved in a previous study done on the effect of GMO crops modified with insect toxins in a rat, a mammalian body. In the end, the authors concluded that while the experiment was not done systematically, there is a possibility of these toxins produced by GMO crops affecting the biological systems of the rats they tested on (de Vendômois). Throughout the paper, the authors discover the shortcomings of the experiment but are unable to refute or reject the possibility of the negative effects of GMO crops. The paper’s presuppositions are the lack of where GMO crops are grown and transparency on the origin of GMO crops could be hazardous to the health of the public and the source of the pushback against GMO crops. Because of this lack of GMO crop origin and inconclusiveness of the data, it results in the public having health concerns about the crops and plants they eat.

     While GMO crops offer a multitude of advantages such as increased pesticide and insect resistance, more tolerance to drought, and higher yield with greater nutritional content, we should not disregard the potential disadvantages of GMO crops. Despite the controversy surrounding GMO crops, more research and tests are needed to look at the effects of certain genes or crops even with the overwhelming advantages. There should also be continued government regulation and laws in place to allow farmers to be transparent and forthcoming with the public about the presence and availability of GMO crops. To move forwards with advances in biotechnology and genetic modifications of GMO crops, governments should have oversight to prevent wrongdoings or malpractice in different agricultural fields. Efforts to safely establish GMO crops as a source of food can help gain the public’s trust and utilize these advantages for the future.

Works Cited

Acker, Rene Van, et al. “Pros and Cons of GMO Crop Farming.” Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Environmental Science, 26 Oct. 2017, oxfordre.com/environmentalscience/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199389414.001.0001/acrefore-9780199389414-e-217.

de Vendômois, Joël Spiroux, et al. “Debate on GMOs Health Risks after Statistical Findings in Regulatory Tests.” International Journal of Biological Sciences, Ivyspring International Publisher, 5 Oct. 2010, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2952409/.

Oliver, Melvin J. “Why We Need GMO Crops in Agriculture.” Missouri Medicine, Journal of the Missouri State Medical Association, 2014, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6173531/.

Tsatsakis, Aristidis M., et al. “Impact on Environment, Ecosystem, Diversity and Health from Culturing and Using GMOs as Feed and Food.” Food and Chemical Toxicology, Pergamon, 20 June 2017, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0278691517303411