Transgenic plants are plants that have been genetically engineered, a breeding approach that uses recombinant DNA techniques to create plants with new characteristics. Transgenic plants are produced by adding one or more genes to a plant's genome, by a process called transformation. They are identified as a class of genetically modified organism (GMO). Genetic engineering, genetic modification (GM), and gene splicing (once in widespread use but now deprecated) are terms for the process of manipulating genes in an organism, usually outside of the organisms normal reproductive process. ... Plant breeding has been practiced for thousands of years. ... Recombinant DNA is an artificial DNA sequence resulting from the combining of two other DNA sequences in a plasmid. ... This stylistic schematic diagram shows a gene in relation to the double helix structure of DNA and to a chromosome (right). ... In biology the genome of an organism is the whole hereditary information of an organism that is encoded in the DNA (or, for some viruses, RNA). ... Transformation is the genetic alteration of a cell resulting from the introduction, uptake and expression of foreign genetic material (DNA or RNA). ... A genetically modified organism, or GMO is an organism whose genetic material has been altered using techniques generally known as recombinant DNA technology. Recombinant DNA technology is the ability to combine DNA molecules from different sources into the one molecule in a test tube. ...

Transgenic plants have been developed for a variety of reasons: longer shelf life, disease resistance, herbicide resistance, and pest resistance. The first transgenic crop approved for sale in the US, in 1994, was the FlavrSavr tomato, which was intended to have a longer shelf life. The FlavrSavr® tomato was the first commercially grown genetically engineered food to be granted a licence for human consumption. ...

Today, there are more than 10,677,000 km² of transgenic plants being grown throughout the world¹.  There are three general types of transgenic plants: those with genes to improve the quality of the product, those with genes to allow them to resist disease or herbivory (consumption by herbivores, usually insects), and plants with genes that allow them to be resistant to the effects of specific herbicides. A developing group of transgenic plants is that of nutraceuticals, or plants designed to possess properties that make them healthier in specific ways. Examples include plants that produce vaccines or higher concentrations of specific compounds like lycopene. Image:Http://www. ... Nutraceutical is a combination of nutritional and pharmaceutical and refers to foods thought to have a beneficial effect on human health. ... A bottle and a syringe containing the influenza vaccine. ... Lycopene (molecular formula: C40H56) is a bright red carotenoid pigment (phytochemical) found in tomatoes and other red fruits. ...

Transgenic crops are grown world wide, although the greatest concentration of transgenic crops is in the United States, at 63% of the world total in 2003.  At that time, 81% of the soybeans, 73% of the cotton and 40% of the corn being grown were transgenic.  At that time most of the transgenic crops had genes either for herbicide resistance or for insect resistance¹. Binomial name Glycine max Merr. ... Species See text The cotton plant (Gossypium) is a genus of about 40 species of shrubs in the family Malvaceae, native to the tropical and subtropical regions of both the Old World and the New World. ... Binomial name Zea mays L. Maize (Zea mays ssp. ...

An emerging class of transgenic plant, sometimes known as pharmacrops, aims to use plants to manufacture other products, such as pharmaceuticals and industrial chemicals. Testing of a variety of these crops has been underway for several years. It appears that no such products have yet been used in the commercial market. Pharmacology (in Greek: pharmacon is drug, and logos is science) is the study of how chemical substances interfere with living systems. ...

Cultivation of transgenic crops is a highly controversial issue, and a primary target of anti-GMO activists. Food safety and potential ecological hazards are central concerns. Legal and economical implications of the use of transgenic plants are often left out from public debate. A genetically modified organism, or GMO is an organism whose genetic material has been altered using techniques generally known as recombinant DNA technology. Recombinant DNA technology is the ability to combine DNA molecules from different sources into the one molecule in a test tube. ...

Ecological risks

The potential impact on nearby ecosystems is one of the greatest concerns associated with transgenic plants. Transgenes have the potential for significant ecological impact if the plants can increase in frequency and persist in natural populations. This can occur:

• if the transgene escapes from the fields into the wild.
•  if transgenic plants mate with similar wild plants, the transgene could be incorporated into the offspring. 
• if these new transgene plants become weedy or invasive, which could reduce biodiversity and might destroy entire ecosystems.

There are three possible avenues of hybridization leading to escape of a transgene: Dandelions, shown here in proliferation, are commonly thought of as weeds. ... This article or section should be merged with Invasive species This article needs cleanup. ... Biodiversity or biological diversity is the diversity of and in living nature. ... In ecology, an ecosystem is a naturally occurring assemblage of organisms (plant, animal and other living organisms—also referred to as a biotic community or biocoenosis) living together with their environment (or biotope), functioning as a loose unit. ... In biology, hybrid has three meanings. ...

1. Hybridization with non-transgenic crop plants of the same species and variety.
2. Hybridization with wild plants of the same species.
3. Hybridization with wild plants of closely related species, usually of the same genus.

However, there are a number of factors which must be present for hybrids to be created. In biology, hybrid has three meanings. ...

• The transgenic plants must be close enough to the wild species for the pollen to reach the wild plants.
• The wild and transgenic plants must flower at the same time.
• The wild and transgenic plants must be genetically compatible.
• The hybrid offspring must be viable, and fertile.
• The hybrid offspring must carry the transgene.

Studies suggest that the most likely escape route for transgenic plants will be through hybridization with wild plants of the same species. In biology, hybrid has three meanings. ...

1. It is known that some crop plants have been found to hybridize with wild counterparts.
2. It is understood, as a basic part of population genetics, that the spread of a transgene in a wild population will be directly related to the fitness effects of the gene in addition to the rate of influx of the gene to the population.  Advantageous genes will spread rapidly, neutral genes will spread with genetic drift, and disadvantageous genes will only spread if there is a constant influx.
3. The ecological effects of transgenes are not known, but it is generally accepted that only genes which improve fitness in relation to abiotic factors would give hybrid plants sufficient advantages to become weedy or invasive.  Abiotic factors are parts of the ecosystem which are not alive, such as climate, salt and mineral content, and temperature.

In biology, hybrid has three meanings. ... Fitness in biology refers to individuals ability to propagate its genes. ... This stylistic schematic diagram shows a gene in relation to the double helix structure of DNA and to a chromosome (right). ... Genetic drift is a contributing factor in biological evolution, in which traits which do not affect reproductive fitness change in a population over time. ... Abiotic factors are the non-living factors of the Earth which affect the ability of living organisms to survive in an environment. ... Dandelions, shown here in proliferation, are commonly thought of as weeds. ... It has been suggested that Invasive plants be merged into this article or section. ...

See also

• Genetically modified food

A genetically modified food is a food product derived in whole or part from a genetically modified organism (GMO) such as a crop plant, animal or microbe such as yeast. ...

Reference

Pilson, D. & Prensdfdeville, H. R. Ecological Effects of Transgenic Crops and the Escape of Transgenes into Wild Populations. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics 0 (0).

External links

• FAO Agriculture Department and its SOFA report on Agricultural Biotechnology
• Genetically Modified Crops – A summary for non-specialists of the above FAO report by GreenFacts.
• Database of commercially approved transgenic plants, AGBIOS