Gene technology and crops
Primary producers that produce food off the land compete in the global marketplace for sales of their produce. Most consumers in that marketplace want products that use environmentally sustainable practices, are healthy and safe for consumption, satisfy our desire for quality and novelty but are not too expensive.
Off-farm, crop farmers face tough competition and regulation. On-farm they have to deal with weeds, insects and diseases, including fungal and viral infections and varying weather and soil conditions.
Pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, fungicides and growth promoters are the main forms of crop protection currently in use in Australia. The cost of this crop protection went from $1,100 million to $1,600 million in the period 1996 to 1999.
Did you know grafting fruit or nut trees onto genetically modified rootstocks protects against bacterial infections but does not produce a genetically modified plant?
How might gene technology be used to help reduce such costs and deliver what the consumers want?
Gene technology can be used to improve crop and food quality not only through transferring or manipulating genes within a species or between species, but also through the use of DNA markers to speed up plant breeding and genomics (the discovery of genes and their function).
Australian research is also focussing on finding genes that control flowering in crop plants. The aim is to allow growers to control the cycle of the plant's growth and harvest time to match the environment.
Watch a video from the CSIRO about flowering switches
Genetic modification of a crop plant involves introducing desirable traits to improve the yield or a desired quality of that crop. It can be done in three ways:
- Input traits – these are commercially available and can be aimed at lowering the cost of production, improving crop yields, reducing the level of pesticides used to control insects, diseases and weeds and offering protection from environmental stresses such as heat, cold, drought and high levels of salt in the soil.
- Output traits – these are aimed at helping consumers by enhancing the quality of the food, fibre and other products they use. Anti-oxidants may be added to foods to deliver health benefits, tobacco may be nicotine-free, flowers will come in new colours or foods will have improved taste, better shelf-life and ripening characteristics.
- Value-added traits – plants may be used to produce textile fibres, biodegradable plastics, or oils for use in paints, detergents and lubricants. Researchers anticipate gene technology will produce plants which can detect and/or dispose of environmental contaminants like mercury, lead and petroleum products.
Not all of these products and crops are currently available. Researchers must fully test GM crops in the field before they can apply for a licence to grown them commercially. You can see where all GM crops that have been, or are currently being field tested in Australia.
Orange cauliflower
Farmers and scientists have been working together to create new kinds of vegetables. These vegetables have exotic colours, fewer calories, and added health benefits. For example, the orange cauliflower has about 25 times more vitamin A than white cauliflower.
How gene technology is carried out - work sheet [PDF 66kb | 3 pages]
What people know about GM foods and crops - work sheet [PDF 50kb | 3 pages]
People do not agree about genetic modification of crops - work sheet [PDF, 47kb, 2 pages]
Ask the experts - work sheet [PDF 53kb | 2 pages]
Growing GM crops in Australia? - work sheet [PDF 51kb | 3 pages]