Benefits
Plant biotechnology provides significant benefits to farmers and consumers, including:
- More options to manage weeds and insects. Planting GM crops gives farmers another option, in addition to pesticides, with which to manage weeds and insects. Through genetic engineering, crops like corn and potatoes are able to defend themselves against specific pests, often reducing the use of pesticides. With more options, farmers can pick the right technology at the right time, to benefit their business, the environment and consumers.
- Higher yields from land currently in production. With a dramatically increasing world population, increased crop yields are essential to produce enough food
- Limiting herbicide resistance. By giving growers more options to control pests, GM crops can help to slow the development of resistance to herbicides. Many tools can be used to manage herbicide resistance including selection of control products from different chemical groups, tillage methods, crop rotation, growing genetically modified crops and other methods supporting integrated pest management.
- Crops resistant to disease or pests. In GM potatoes, for example, Bt (short for Bacillus thuriengiensis), helps to control the Colorado Potato Beetle. Previously, the only option farmers had to control this devastating pest was to use insecticide sprays.
- No-till farming facilitated by herbicide tolerant crop varieties. No-till farms reduced soil erosion by as much as 20 percent according to a 2007 study by geologist David Montgomery of the University of Washington, Seattle.
- In addition to the many health benefits biotechnology offers, consumers will have access to:
- Fresh foods that taste better. Tomatoes have been developed that are slower to soften and remain on the vine longer for more flavour and colour. Peppers and peas are being developed that will remain sweeter. Strawberries and soybeans with better flavour are also being researched.
- Better quality produce at the grocery store. Examples include peppers and tomatoes that are better able to survive the handling and shipping process; and improved eating quality of corn.
- Fresh foods that will keep longer before spoiling. In development are bananas and pineapples with delayed ripening qualities and strawberries with improved freshness and texture.
Report: Biotechnology: capturing the benefits - Ensuring Safety
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