Bt corn benefits
- how is corn modified
- how is modified corn starch made
- how is modified corn starch grown
- how is maize modified
Genetically modified corn history.
Genetically Modified Corn— Environmental Benefits and Risks
Abstract
To plant or not to plant.
Bt corn controversy
A discussion of the environmental benefits and risks of genetically modified crops
Corn is one of humankind's earliest innovations. It was domesticated 10,000 years ago when humans learned to cross-pollinate plants and slowly turned a scraggly nondescript grass called teosinte into plump, productive modern corn (Figure 1).
As needs change, so does plant breeding. Today, while biotech super-giants manipulate corn genetics to satisfy farmer desires and a global market, indigenous Mexican farmers do so to fulfill individual needs. Although the tools differ, the goal remains the same—to cultivate desirable traits.
Figure 1.What is bt corn
Crossing for Kernels.
Open in a new tab
Plant breeding was once restricted to sexually compatible plants, and generations of offspring were selectively bred to create unique varieties. In fact, corn, along with rice and wheat—today's global crop staples—would not exist without such techniques.
With the goal of ever-widening the pool of genetic diversity, conven
- how is corn starch modified
- how is bt corn modified