Investigate the uses and advantages of current genetic technologies

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Investigate the uses and advantages of current genetic technologies that induce genetic change.

• Simple Selection:
• A genetically heterogeneous population of plants is inspected, and “superior” individuals, plants with the most desired traits, such as improved palatability and yield are selected for continued propagation.
• The seeds from the superior plants are sown to produce a new generation of plants, all or most of which will carry and express the desired traits.
• An example of modern methods of simple selection is marker-assisted selection, which uses molecular analysis to detect plants likely to express desired features, such as disease resistance to one or more specific pathogens in a population.
• Advantages include:
• Improved quality, such as increased nutrition, improved flavour, or greater beauty
• Increased yield of the crop
• Increased tolerance of environmental pressures (salinity, extreme temperature, drought)
• Resistance to viruses, fungi and bacteria
• Increased tolerance to insect pests
• Increased tolerance of herbicides
• Longer storage period for the harvested crop
• Crossing:
• Crossing occurs when a plant breeder takes pollen from one plant and brushes it onto the pistil of a sexually compatible plant, producing a hybrid that carries genes from both parents.
• This technique is usually used to combine useful features of two plants that might be distantly related.
• For example, they might add a disease-resistance gene from one plant to another that is high-yielding but disease-susceptible, while leaving behind any undesirable genetic traits of the disease-resistant plant, such as poor fertility and seed yield, susceptibility to insects or other diseases, or the production of antinutritional metabolites.
• Advantages include:
• Improved quality of produce with desirable traits
• Increase in variety
• Plants become more tolerant towards harsh environmental conditions
• At times, production cost is lowered because plants become capable of surviving in minimal condition
• Somatic Hybridization:
• Gene recombination process between different plant species.
• In somatic hybridization, a process also known as cell fusion, use of enzymes such as pectinase, cellulase and hemicellulase remove the outer cell wall in plant cells and later they are grown in an artificial environment (cell culture medium) in the lab after they are fused together by varied techniques.
• When two protoplasts fuse, the resulting somatic hybrid contains the genetic material from both plant sources.
• If the somatic hybrid is compatible and healthy, it may grow a new cell wall, begin mitotic divisions, and ultimately grow into a hybrid plant that carries genetic features of both parents.
• Advantages:
• Facilitates production of inter-specific and inter-generic hybrids
• Enables conjugation of sterile plants who are uncapable of reproducing sexually
• Helps to overcome barriers of sexual incompatibility
• Introduces variety and different traits such as abiotic stress resistance, disease resistance etc can be obtained
• Production of heterozygous lines in the single species which cannot be propagated by vegetative means
• Can be used to produce Cybrids, a unique type of hybrid where nucleus from one parent cell and cytoplasm form the other are combined
• Genetic Engineering:
• Genetic Engineering is treated as a genetic technology itself because this method is a combination of various techniques.
• In both plants and animals, genetic change can be induced by genetic engineering in the following ways:
• By stably integrating specific new genetic material into the cells of target plant or animal species by using vectors.
• By Microinjection, a technique in which DNA can be directly injected in cells.
• By in vitro (artificial condition or outside natural environment; specifically referring to a laboratory setup) fertilization of oocytes.
• By various DNA Recombinant Technology.
• Advantages:
• Allows maturity to occur at a quicker pace and increases adaptability in unfavourable growth conditions.
• Creates resistance to common forms of lethal diseases thus increases lifespan.
• Plants and animals can have specific traits developed through genetic engineering that can make them more attractive to use or consumption.
• High yield of produce reduces educe global food insecurity.
• Development of improved quality and disease resistant plants reduces overall usage of herbicide and pesticide.
• Genetic engineering has helped with the production of vaccines and other drugs.

Reference:

• Safety of Genetically Engineered Foods: Approaches to Assessing Unintended Health Effects.

Extract from HSC Biology Stage 6 Syllabus. © 2017 Board of Studies NSW.