Question

Describe the technique of pesticide resistant rapeseed plants.

Answer 1

Rapeseed is a bright-yellow flowering member of the family Brassicaceae, cultivated mainly for its oil-rich seed, which naturally contains appreciable amounts of toxic erucic acid. Pesticide-resistant rapeseed plants - Rapeseed is a flowering plant used to make certain types of vegetable oil. Genetic engineering has allowed these plants to be resistant to certain types of pesticides, so that when the fields are treated to remove pests, the plants will remain unscathed. Pesticide-Resistant Rape Plants Rape plants were given the gene to resist pesticides. Benefits Farmers get better yields because they can kill pests without killing the plants Less pesticide is needed, making farmers more environmentally friendly. Risks Genetically modified rape crop could transfer its genes to the pests. As a result, the pests would become resistant to the crop spray, and the crop spray would become useless. Weeds could be pollinated by these rape plants and they could gain resistance to crop spray. We would be helping what we are trying to eliminate. Pest resistant crops. Pest resistant GM crops (primarily cotton and maize), have been genetically modified so they are toxic to certain insects. They are often called Bt crops because the introduced genes were originally identified in a bacterial species called Bacillus thuringiensis To add a desired trait to a crop, a foreign gene (transgene) encoding the trait must be inserted into plant cells, along with a “cassette” of additional genetic material. The cassette includes a DNA sequence called a “promoter,” which determines where and when the foreign gene is expressed in the host, and a “marker gene” that allows breeders to determine which plants contain the inserted gene by screening or selection. Two methods are used to transfer foreign genes into plants. The first method involves the use of a plant pathogen called Agrobacterium tumefaciens, which causes crown gall disease in many species. This bacterium has a plasmid, or loop of non-chromosomal DNA, that contains tumor-inducing genes (T-DNA), along with additional genes that help the T-DNA integrate into the host genome. For genetic engineering purposes, Agrobacterium must first be “disarmed” so that it does not make the plant sick. This is done by removing most of the T-DNA while leaving the left and right border sequences, which integrate a foreign gene into the genome of cultured plant cells. The second delivery method is a “gene gun,” which fires gold particles carrying the foreign DNA into plant cells. Some of these particles pass through the plant cell wall and enter the cell nucleus, where the transgene integrates itself into the plant chromosome. Because both methods of gene transfer are fairly random, one must screen for the plant cells that contain the foreign gene. Thank You!