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Transgenic research

Genetically Modified Organism (GMO), Living Modified Organism (LMO), and Trangenic Organism (TO), meaning the same thing, means any organism that possesses a novel combination of genetic material obtained through the use of modern biotechnology.
      In 1985, the first transgenic plant, a Bt-transgenic tobacco resistant to insects, was produced. In 1994, the first commercial release of tomato in the United States was permitted, a species of tomato delay maturation. Since then, transgenic crops were planted increased year by year, and the increasing rate increased. With the commercial release of transgenic crops over the world, most notably rice, soybean, cotton, maize, oilseed rape and so on, the gene flow between transgenic crops and wild relatives raises people's concerns. Trangenic flow has potential to affect evolution of plants and animals, population dynamics, community composition, ecosystem balance and biodiversity. I, a general scientist, would like to dig out these secrets and regulates, try to expoit and maximize the advantage of transgenic crops and minimize their disadvantage. Biosafety of transgenic crops is one of interesting topics...
      The safety of transgenic food is very important to human health, and still is the focus of the scientists, the crowd, and plenty of organizations' concern. "Is it safe?", a simple question, it is very difficult to answer, however. Nobody could tell us the truth now except the God, if exsit. Don't worry, but, the time will give us the answer, and the God will bless us if we believe. My opinion? It is not so bad as some people imaging, but if you are able to not eat, don't do.

Rice (Oryza sativa)

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Rice is one of the most important crops, feeding nearly one half of the Global population. In many developing countries, rice is the basis of food security and is intimately associated with local ways of life. The safety of rice  therefore involves human life in some ways. As the permission of Bt-transgenic rice release in China in 2009, Chinese people and people over the world focus on this front-page news, and the controversy still around our ears. Safe or dangerous, both the two sides try to provide some evidence to support themselves and persuade the counterpart, but they failed and the controversy continue. The main reason is lacking of enough evidence, including scientific experiments and natrual phenomenon.
    Whatever, the presence of the controversy is better than its absence, which is able to keep raising the people's concerns and to potentially enhance the level of scientific research. 

E-Links of scientists or labs on rice research
Prof. Linscombe S.D.


Oilseed rape (Brassica napus)

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Oilseed rape, namely canola, is a common but important crop for producing oil, which could be known from the name, that used to feed machines, animals and even human being. Transgenic oilseed rape was permitted to commercial release for high quality of staff and economical benefit of commerce.
    Untill now,there are transgenic canola that resistant to herbicide, insects, virus, and producing high content oil. Oilseed rape is a model crop for gene flow research, because it could outcross with several wild relatives, like B. rapa, B. juncea, Raphanus raphanistrum and so on, and the outcrossing rate is relatively high, up to 47%. There are lots of literatures on gene flow of oilseed rape, therefore. The cross-fertilization distance could be 3,000m away.


E-Links of scientists or labs on oilseed rape research


Soybean (Glycine max)

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About 80% of the global soybean is GM soyebean production, particularly most of the soybean oil. Thus, perhaps, we have already eaten GM soybean and or second-production intentionally or by accident. Even though we don't want to accept GM production, we have to do because probably all the food before us is GM one day. How can we do?
    Soybean flowers are highly self-pollination,  and the outcrossing frequency among soybean cultivars is low, about 0.5%, while the rate between soybean and wild soyebean (Glycine soja) is lower than 0.1%.

Maize (Zea mays)

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Maize, also known as corn, is a monoecious allogamous species, favoring a high level of cross-fertilization, only about 5% self-pollination.  It was domesticated from Balsas teosinte (Zea mays subspecies parviglumis), a wild relative that is endemic to the mid- to lowland regions of southwestern Mexico. GM maize represents around 30% of the global maize. Maize pollen is relatively large and heavy so that it could not disperse very far by wind, but transgenic maize has been found in conventional maize field in Mexico, meaning the transgene fow occurred between maize crops.

Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum)

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Over the world, there are about 65% of cotton is GM cotton. Cotton is generally considered as to be a self-compatible crop, but it also could cross-pollinate. Outcrossing rate that vary from less than 1% to 47% depends on pollinators, location condition, distance, and rate generally decreases with increased distance. 

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