Ecological Assessment of Crop Biotechnology

Contents: Preface. 1. Agricultural evolution on crop biotechnology. 2. Potentials of crop biotechnology. 3. Transformation and regeneration of plants. 4. Genetic engineering. 5. Plant genomics. 6. Gene flow in plants. 7. Crop improvement. 8. Crop biotechnology and healthier food production. 9. Crop biotechnology and food safety. 10. Ecological impacts of crop biotechnology. 11. Impacts of biotechnology on biodiversity. 12. Effects of herbicide tolerant crops. 13. Risks of segregating GM crops. 14. Ethical aspects of crop biotechnology. 15. Future of transgenic crops. Bibliography. Index.

"Transgenic crops, the main products of agricultural biotechnology, are increasingly becoming a dominant feature of the agricultural landscapes. The proponents of biotechnology argue that carefully planned introduction of these crops could reduce or even eliminate the enormous crop losses due to weeds, insect pests, and pathogens. they argue that the use of such crops will have added beneficial effects on the environment by significantly reducing the use of agrochemicals.

However, ecological theory predicts that as long as transgenic crops follow closely the pesticide paradigm prevalent in modern agriculture, such biotechnological products will do nothing but reinforce the pesticide treadmill in agroecosystems, thus legitimising the concerns that many environmentalists and some scientists have expressed regarding the possible environmental risks of genetically engineered organisms.

This book provides a comprehensive ecological assessment of crop biotechnology. The potential benefits and risk of genetically modified crops are addressed in detail. The book is an unique, concise and up-to-date resource, which offer students and researchers an innovative and valuable presentation of the subject." (jacket)