• Question: How are transgenic plants different from normal plants?

    Asked by to Jennifer, Ricardo, James, Kim, Liam on 14 Jun 2014. This question was also asked by .
    • Photo: Jennifer Stephens

      Jennifer Stephens answered on 14 Jun 2014:

      Hi Dina44
      Under normal conditions you may not see any difference when you compare a transgenic and a normal plant. Usually the transgenic plant is made by inserting a small piece of DNA that changes the effect of just one gene. This might be a gene that helps the plant to protect itself from a harmful pest. If the transgenic and normal plants are growing side by side when they are attacked by this pest then the normal plant would suffer, and possibly die, while the transgenic plant that is protected should survive without any damage.

    • Photo: Ricardo Ramirez

      Ricardo Ramirez answered on 17 Jun 2014:

      Hi Diana33,
      I would like to add a bit to Jennifer’s answer.
      The insertion of the DNA is done in the lab in the case of GMs. However, humans had been crossing different plants to get the modern cereals we have. We had also been selecting them from millennia to a point that most of the cereals we eat won’t be able to reproduce without human intervention (maize needs to be taken out of the corn in order to grow, for example). In traditional farming, the crosses between species don’t assure you that you will get an improvement or that only the characteristics you are looking to improve will appear in the next generation. A lot of genes that come from both parents gets mixed and needs to be selected again. With GMs you can control exactly what gene is being added, as to do it you need to understand the modification you are performing.

Comments