When people refer to genetically modified organisms or GMOs, they are referring to crops developed through genetic engineering, a more precise method of plant breeding. Genetic engineering, also referred to as biotechnology, allows plant breeders to take a desirable trait found in nature and transfer it from one plant or organism to the plant they want to improve, as well as make a change to an existing trait in a plant they are developing. Some examples of desirable traits commonly transferred include resistance to insects and disease and tolerance to herbicides that allow farmers to better control weeds.
GMOs are the products of specific type of plant breeding where precise changes made on the plant genome.
Dear Joshi
A GMO is a plant, animal, microorganism or other organism whose genetic makeup has been modified in a laboratory using genetic engineering or transgenic technology. This creates combinations of plant, animal, bacterial and virus genes that do not occur in nature or through traditional crossbreeding methods.
In simple words, when a gene (which do not occur naturally in the genome of that host/ recipient plant species) is transferred in a plant species from an unrelated organism/plant, This transfer results in modification of genetic makeup of that plant species. For example a gene (Cry) from Bacillus thuringiensis (bacteria) is transferred into Cotton ( a plant). So resulted cotton will be now GMO Cotton, because it has a gene of a Bacteria which is not related. (Transfer of gene from cotton to cotton is breeding, it will not result a GMO cotton).
I joined a symposium between US embassy and our ministry of agriculture about GMO s , personally I don't that those products have not side effects . The sponsors of the idea who aimed to encourage their GMO s asked me to prove that they had harm effects , it was hard to prove it , but millions of people believe the same . How cutting of required gens aren't contaminated with some neighbouring parts ?
Please have a look at this useful RG link.
Article Why we need GMO crops in agriculture
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