GMO Products

• GM products can deliver higher agricultural productivity because of their higher yields. Don Farrall/Photodisc/Getty Images

  GMOs, or genetically modified organisms, generally refers to plants whose genes have been altered to deliver features such as higher yields or enhanced protection against pests and diseases. Genetically modified products are widely used in the United States and several other countries. However, there are many critics of GMOs, who believe that GM products are harmful and should not be consumed.

Soybeans

• Soybeans are among the most popular genetically modified crops. Some GM soybeans, for example one produced by Monsanto, are resistant to certain herbicides, which makes it easy to remove weeds while doing no harm to the crop. Soybeans are used for making oil and flour, as well as feeding cattle.

Corn

• Corn, known as maize in the United Kingdom, is another GMO product. Corn is engineered to have resistance to specific pesticides or pests. For example, if a gene from the bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), a bacterium, is added to the genetic material of corn, the resulted corn variety becomes immune to corn borers, thus increasing yields. According to the BBC, Bt corn makes up about two-thirds of the US corn crop.

Tomatoes

• Tomatoes are genetically engineered for a different purpose than soybeans or corn. Whereas the two staple crops are being made resistant to herbicides and pests, tomatoes are genetically modified to make them last longer without rotting or degrading.

Potatoes

• Potatoes constitute another popular genetically modified product. Potatoes are not only used to feed people and animals, but are also also grown for the needs of the starch and chemical industries. There are several genetically modified varieties of potatoes. Some of the GM potatoes are engineered to develop resistance to viruses and to the potato beetle. Still others are designed to deliver better quality and composition of the starch.

Rapeseed

• Rapeseed is the raw material for bio-diesels, industrial oils and lubricants. It is also used to make cooking oil and margarine. The way scientists tweak the genes of rapeseed depends on what properties they want to reinforce. For example, GM rapeseed has been engineered to possess higher content of long-chain fatty acids, which, among other things, can reduce the number of processing steps needed to produce margarine.

Rice

• Scientists modify the genes of rice to improve it in a number of ways. First, they produce rice varieties that are more resistant to bacterial, viral and fungal pathogens. Secondly, scientists develop robust, higher yielding cultivars requiring little or no spraying, tailoring the cultivars to specific regional conditions. Thirdly, scientific efforts are aimed at developing rice cultivars with a tolerance to drought and salinity. While some variants of GM rice are already being grown, others are still awaiting government approval.