ABSTRACT

The world’s crop production is entering the age of biotechnology. All of the world’s major crop species have been transformed and have expressed foreign genes. Transgenic crops, or “genetically modified” (GM) crops, as the media refers to them, are now being grown on a large scale. In the United States nearly 60 million acres of GM crops were grown in 1998, up tenfold since 1996. 1 In 1998 over 25% of the maize, 38% of the soybeans, 45% of the cotton, and 35% of the canola grown in the U.S. were “genetically modified.” 2 Most of those transgenic crops express herbicide tolerance (mainly Roundup™) and/or insect resistance, mainly the Bacillus thuringiensis toxic protein (Bt). Farmers like the transgenic crops because of their reduced pesticide needs and higher subsequent profits. However, the rapid increase in scope of transgenic crops and their control in 120the hands of just a few multinational corporations has caused concern among consumers, especially in Europe. Consumers are also uneasy about health safety concerns based mainly on fear of the unknown and mistrust of governmental regulating agencies. There is no data supporting the detrimental health effects of GM foods. Consumer groups are pushing legislation to label and/or restrict transgenic food products. While these concerns are being worked out, growth in the use of transgenic crops will undoubtedly be slowed. In the long run, biotechnology will make very significant contributions to making crop production more sustainable and more environmentally friendly, and in improving nutritional quality and productivity, especially in marginal crop environments.