Genetically Engineered Crops: Biotechnology, Biosafety and Benefits

Genetically engineered crops are those crop plants that are transformed with transgenes of desired traits into their nuclear genome using recombinant DNA technology. The common strategies used for plant transformation are by exploiting natural gene transfer by soil bacterium, Agrobacterium tumefaciens and by using gene guns where gold microcarriers coated with desiccated DNA are delivered using pneumatic pressure. Transgenic technology has expanded the scope of conventional breeding by breaking the restrictions inflicted by traditional cross-pollination and selection techniques. This book presents research in the study of genetically engineered crops, including the promise of transgenic breeding for future agriculture and the public concerns over genetically modified plants; and genetically modified crop safety assessment protocol.