Transgenic crops boon or bane

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TRANSGENIC CROPS BOON OR

BANE

P.ILANANGAI

IP CONSULTANT

PATENT DEPARTMENT



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• A transgenic crop plant contains a gene or genes which have been artificially inserted instead of the plant acquiring them through pollination. The inserted gene sequence (known as the transgene) may come from a completely different species.

• Traditionally, only plants of the same or closely related species can be crossed to obtain a desired genetic outcome.

• By using transgenic technology, plant breeders can combine desirable traits and genes from different species of plants and even from other organisms, such as bacteria.

• Plant breeders alter transgenic plants to make them more tolerant of heat, cold, drought, or rain.

• The countries that grow more transgenic crops are the United States, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, Paraguay, and South Africa.

INTRODUCTION



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• Bt cotton Insecticide sweet corn

• Golden rice Tomatoes

EXAMPLES



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• The world population has crossed 650 crores and is predicted to increase further in the coming decades. Ensuring an adequate food supply for this booming population is going to be a major challenge in the years to come. Genetically modified foods promise to meet this need in a number of ways.

• Some scientists and food producers believe that genetically modified (GM) food crops could help solve problems of matching food supply to demand, but many other researchers and health advocates believe that widespread use of genetically modified foods carry health risks and could have a negative impact on the ecosystem.

WHY GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOODS?



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• The introduction of high-yielding varieties of seeds and the use of chemical fertilizers and irrigation provided a much-needed increase in food production levels and a decline in dependence on imports.

• However, in the last few decades, the overuse of pesticides and insecticides has led to increasing health hazards and depletion of overall soil quality.

• While some experts believe that the way forward for India is to take organic farming seriously, others argue that GM crops will lead to a second agricultural revolution in the country.

• contd..

INDIA AND GM CROPS



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• However, there are many in India who remain convinced that GM crops are not only unsafe for consumption, but also inappropriate for a primarily agrarian economy. Concerns include unknown or unintended environmental and ecological hazards, unknown effects on human and animal health, as well as economic implications for small and marginal farmers forced to buy expensive seeds on a yearly basis.

• Bt cotton, a patented product of Monsanto, remains the first and only GM crop to be commercially cultivated in India, in 2002.

• contd…



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• Following Bt cotton, the Indian Government tried to introduce Bt brinjal (eggplant) towards the end of 2009. Bt brinjal is the first transgenic edible crop to be introduced into India.



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POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF GM PLANTS

Pest resistance:

•Large use of chemical pesticides

•Food treated with pesticides has potential health hazards

•Use of pesticides and fertilisers poison the water supply and cause harm to the environment.

GM foods can help eliminate the application of chemical pesticides.

CONSEQUENCES OF TRANSGENIC CROPS



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Herbicide tolerance:

•Use of large quantities of different herbicides (weed-killer) to destroy weeds

Crop plants genetically-engineered to be resistant to one very powerful herbicide could help prevent environmental damage by reducing the amount of herbicides needed.

Disease resistance:

• There are many viruses, fungi and bacteria that cause

plant diseases.

Plant biologists are working to create plants with genetically-engineered resistance to these diseases.



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Cold tolerance:

•Unexpected frost can destroy sensitive seedlings in case of crops grown in higher altitudes like apples in Himachal Pradesh and Kashmir, potatoes in Shimla, and saffron in Kashmir.

An antifreeze gene from cold-water fish indeed has been introduced into some plants such as potato.

Drought tolerance/salinity tolerance:

•As the world population grows and more land is utilized for housing instead of food production, farmers will need to grow crops in locations previously unsuited for cultivation.

Creating plants that can withstand long periods of drought or high salt content in soil and groundwater will help people to grow crops in formerly inhospitable places.



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Nutrition:

•Malnutrition is common in third world countries where impoverished people rely on a single crop such as rice for the main staple of their diet.

If rice could be genetically engineered to contain additional vitamins and minerals, nutrient deficiencies could be alleviated.

Pharmaceuticals:

•Genetically modified crops are under development to produce and deliver vaccines. This is vitally important to protecting the health of people in developing nations and preventing epidemics.



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POTENTIAL RISKS OF GM PLANTS•Genetic modification is fundamentally different from selective breeding because it transfers genes between species in ways that could never happen naturally.

•Genetic engineering alters the fundamental composition of crops. While natural crossbreeding restricts the types of hybrids that can be produced, genetic engineering allows for gene transfers between vastly unrelated species, such as fish and tomatoes.

• contd..



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• Risks include potential health problems for human beings, such as new or more virulent allergens and carcinogens, and increased resistance to antibiotics. Especially babies are more vulnerable to developing allergies. Children in the US and Europe have developed life-threatening allergies to peanuts and other foods.

• Risks to the environment include the unintended transfer of genes to other species, decreased biodiversity.

• Inadvertent cross-pollination could lead to the creation of “super weeds”; insect-resistant crops could harm insect species that are not pests.

• Corporations create and patent GM seeds, they will control the market. This circumstance would be more likely to increase world hunger than to alleviate it.

• contd..



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• Creating and patenting new life forms is unethical.

• It is the obligation of the technology innovators, producers, and the government to assure the public of the safety of the novel foods that they offer as well as their benign effect on the environment.

• Now, research is focused on “second-generation” GM crops that will feature increased nutritional and/or industrial traits. These crops will have more direct benefits to consumers. Examples include:

Rice enriched with iron, vitamin A and E, and lysine

Potatoes with higher starch content, and inulin

Edible vaccines in maize, banana and potatoes

Healthier oils from soybean and canola

Allergen-free nuts.



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CASE LAWS

• Monsanto Co v McFarling

• The court upheld Monsanto's patent licensing practice of forbidding farmers from saving seeds from GM crops for replanting.

• Monsanto’s Patent on Method of Producing Transgenic Plants refused by IPAB

• Monsanto’s Indian patent application 2407/DEL/NP/2006 on transgenic plants with heat/salt/draught tolerant plants is rejected by IPAB. The subject patent application was rejected on lack of inventive step under 2(1)(ja) in view of three prior art references and under section 3(d).



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• Usually GM seeds are patented so the farmer has to buy the seeds again from the company year after year.

• There are natural ways to grow crops and still keep the yields high for long term.

• Organic food and natural herbicides usage is also becoming quiet popular in European countries.

• Stay Organic, Stay Natural, Stay Healthy!!!!



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THANK YOU

Technology

Transgenic crops boon or bane