Abstract
Ability to modify plants at the genomic level by advanced molecular technology has enhanced the scope of improvements in plant traits attempted earlier through conventional breeding methods. Techniques such as genetic transformation have opened new vistas whereby functional genes, not commonly present in a particular species can be added from other species. The traits incorporated into the genetically engineered plants in the beginning were confined to those governed by dominant genes, e.g. insecticide resistance and herbicide tolerance but advancements with time now also permit the transfer of complexly inherited traits such as drought and cold tolerance. Transgenic technology is also useful in understanding gene expression and metabolic pathways which can then be used to harness the full genomic potential of the plant. This review presents a narrative on development of transgenics and their use for the improvement of field, industrial and pharmaceuticals crops. In addition, discussions are made on current status on genetically modified crops, hurdles to genetic engineering, overcoming strategies and future scope.
Highlights
The alteration or modification in an organism’s genome using modern DNA technology is called genetic engineering or genetic modification. Since it involves the introduction of foreign DNA or synthetic genes into the organism of interest the resulting artifact is often referred as transgenic and or genetically modified (GM)
The third generation of transgenic crops has been engineered for use as biofactories or living reactors in the production of pharmaceuticals and industrial chemicals and is often referred as “molecular farming”
Some transgenic plant lines, which produce compounds for specific industrial applications, are already commercialized, and many more are at different stages of development by biotechnology companies, research institutes and universities
Summary
The alteration or modification in an organism’s genome using modern DNA technology is called genetic engineering or genetic modification. Only traits that exhibited complete dominance, free of the interaction from the native plant genome or the environment, were targeted. For such traits, only one copy of the trait introduced into one of the inbred parents was required. The scope of transgenic technology has expanded to include quantitative traits such as stress tolerance and yield improvement that necessitate the interaction of the introgressed genes with native genes engaged in the metabolic pathway for the phenotypic trait expression where environment may influence considerably the final phenotypic expression. Between 1996 and 2013 there has been more than 100 fold increase in the acreage of genetically engineered crops [1]
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