5.15 Genetically Modified Plants

Evaluate the potential for using genetically modified plants to improve food production (illustrated by plants with improved resistance to pests)

Maize is damaged by larvae of European cork borer --> 20% loss of crop yield.

This can be solved with that existence of Bacterium BT. In the chromosome of BT there is a gene, and when it is switched on it produces BT toxin which can kill cork borer larvae. 

We have to get the Bt toxin into maize to protect it from European cork borer.

1. Take restriction enzyme to the gene of Bt Bacterium and chop this gene out so that we will get the Bt gene for the toxin. 

2. Transfer it to the cell of the maize plant. The technique currently being used involved 'gene gon'. --> taking tiny particles of gold coated in Bt genes. They are then fired at high velocity at the plant cell, introducing the Bt gene to the interior of the plant cell. 

So the plant cell gets the gene and the maize cell have the Bt gene which make it toxin when switched on --> kill larvae. 

This gives the maize resistance to damage caused by the cork borer.