1 In the past, changing plant varieties was mainly through breeding. This traditional breeding method takes a long time, and the hybrid varieties are difficult to control and have poor purpose. Their offspring may be high-yielding but not disease-resistant, or they may Disease-resistant but not high-yielding, perhaps high-yielding but poor quality, so selection must be carried out again and again. The transgenic technology is different. You can choose any target gene and transfer it into it, and you can get a corresponding new variety. You don't need to spend so long screening.

2 Traditional breeding can only be hybridization between rice and rice, and corn against corn, but not rice against corn, and rice cannot be hybridized with bacteria. Transgenic technology can not only combine genes from different plants, but also combine genes from animals and even humans into plants. For example, scientists took a fancy to a polar bear gene and thought it could resist freezing, so they isolated it and implanted it into tomatoes to create cold-resistant tomatoes.

3 Through transgenic technology, new crop varieties with high yield, high quality, resistance to viruses, insects, cold resistance, drought resistance, waterlogging resistance, salt-alkali resistance, herbicide resistance and other characteristics can be cultivated to reduce the need for pesticides and fertilizers. and water dependence, reduce agricultural costs, significantly increase output per unit area, improve food quality, and alleviate the world's food shortage.

For example: After the cecropin gene is implanted into potatoes, their ability to resist bacterial blight and soft rot has been greatly improved. In the past, these two diseases would cause nearly 30% of the yield loss every year. Potato beetles can reduce the use of pesticides by 370,000 kg in the United States every year; after sowing genetically modified soybean seeds in Argentina, the disease resistance and weed resistance of soybeans has greatly increased, the amount of pesticides and herbicides used has been reduced, and the production cost has been significantly reduced. It turned out to be a 15% drop.

4 Use genetically modified technology to produce food that is beneficial to health and resistant to disease. DuPont and Monsanto are about to launch a variety of soybeans that extract heart-healthy cooking oils. The two companies will also join forces to launch new varieties of fortified soybeans that are more delicious and easier to digest. Elm, in collaboration with other companies, is researching tomatoes that are high in cancer-fighting substances, as well as corn and soybeans that can be used to produce hemoglobin.

In addition, research on bananas and potatoes containing vaccines is also being stepped up; Japanese scientists have used genetically modified technology to successfully breed new rice varieties that can reduce serum cholesterol levels and prevent arteriosclerosis; European scientists have newly developed rice grains Genetically modified rice rich in vitamin A and iron, this achievement may help reduce the incidence of iron deficiency anemia and vitamin A deficiency worldwide, especially in developing countries where rice is the staple food.

5 Genetically modified foods can get rid of the influence of seasons and climate, allowing people to eat fresh vegetables and vegetables all year round. At the same time, people have also discovered that the fruits produced by genetically modified crops have unique appearance and taste. British scientists have transplanted a gene that can destroy chlorophyll mutation into grass, making it evergreen all year round. In addition to its greening function, it also benefits the animal husbandry because the nutrition of green grass is higher than that of hay, which improves the quality of meat. improve.

6 Use transgenic technology to add auxin genes, fertility genes, egg-stimulating hormone genes, high lactation genes, lean genes, keratin genes, anti-parasitic genes, anti-viral genes, etc. Introducing source genes into the sperm, egg cells or fertilized eggs of animals can create animals with short growth cycles, many litters, many eggs, high lactation, good meat and fur quality and processing performance, and disease resistance. .