1. Animal, Plant & Soil Science
Lesson B2-7
Advantages and Disadvantages of Agricultural Biotechnology

2. Interest Approach
Bring samples of cheese to class for students to taste. Inform them beforehand that roughly 50 percent of the cheese produced in the United States is made using rennin from bioengineered bacteria. Ask students if they have a problem eating the cheese. Is it necessary that the cheese be labeled as a bioengineered food?

3. Objectives
Analyze the advantages and progress created by agricultural biotechnology.
Discuss the issues, concerns, and potential negative impacts created by agricultural biotechnology.
Identify the benefits of genetically engineered foods.

4. Objectives Analyze the concerns of genetically engineered foods.
Examine the role of the USDA, EPA, and FDA in regulating biotechnology products.

5. Terms
bioethics
EPA
FDA
nitrogen fixation
photorespiration
USDA

6. What are the advantages and progress created by agricultural biotechnology?
Agricultural biotechnology has several advantages for those in plant and animal production.
The progress made in biotechnology over the last few years has literally changed the face of production agriculture.
In plants, biotechnology has led to a number of advantages for the grower.

7. A. Plants have been designed with a genetic resistance to:
What are the advantages and progress created by agricultural biotechnology?
A. Plants have been designed with a genetic resistance to:
1. Diseases
2. Herbicides, allowing the use of non-selective herbicides in weed control
3. Insects, allowing decreased use of insecticides that could harm beneficial species
4. Viruses

8. B. Plants have also been designed with a tolerance to:
What are the advantages and progress created by agricultural biotechnology?
B. Plants have also been designed with a tolerance to:
1. Drought
2. Cold temperatures
3. Salt buildup in soil
C. There is a reduction of photorespiration, an alternate form of food production by plants in dry climates that actually lowers the efficiency of photosynthesis.

9. What are the advantages and progress created by agricultural biotechnology?
D. There is an increase in nitrogen fixation, or the process of changing atmospheric nitrogen into a useable form of soil nitrogen for plants to use.
Nitrogen fixation is normally done by a variety of soil organisms, including bacteria, but can also occur in natural situations, such as a lightning strike.

10. What are the advantages and progress created by agricultural biotechnology?
E. Biotechnology can be used to increase the nutritional value of some crops.
F. Biotechnology can be used to increase the storage properties and shelf life of some crops.

11. What are the advantages and progress created by agricultural biotechnology?
G. Biotechnology can be used to modify crops to make them more appealing to consumers.
Examples include fruit with fewer blemishes and larger fruits and vegetables.

12. Issues related to biotechnology should be debated.
What are the issues, concerns, and potential negative impacts created by agricultural biotechnology?
Issues and concerns need to be addressed as advancements in biotechnology are made.
Issues related to biotechnology should be debated.
Application of the principles of morality associated with biotechnology, including both the science of the good and the nature of the right, is referred to as bioethics.

13. What are the issues, concerns, and potential negative impacts created by agricultural biotechnology?
A. Genetically altered crops raise a number of environmental concerns, including:
1. The development of insect populations resistant to this control method
2. Reduced interest in sustainable agricultural practices because of the existence of more resistant crops
3. Difficulties in controlling weeds due to transgenic herbicide-resistant crops

14. What are the issues, concerns, and potential negative impacts created by agricultural biotechnology?
4. The creation of new cultivars with unknown consequences as a result of modified crops breeding with wild plants
5. Increased use of certain herbicides with associated environmental risks inherent in pesticide use
6. The development of disease resistant plants resulting in more virulent strains of the targeted pathogen

15. What are the issues, concerns, and potential negative impacts created by agricultural biotechnology?
7. Poisoned wildlife
8. Reduced genetic diversity as producers become more dependent on a select group of varieties
9. Inaccurate predictions of environmental safety from field trials

16. B. Economic/global concerns of biotechnology include:
What are the issues, concerns, and potential negative impacts created by agricultural biotechnology?
B. Economic/global concerns of biotechnology include:
1. Increased shift to more capital intensive farming and large farms
2. Increased seed costs
3. Corporate mergers resulting in less competition among agricultural suppliers
4. Loss of ability among producers to save seed for subsequent crops

17. What are the issues, concerns, and potential negative impacts created by agricultural biotechnology?
C. The concerns about biotech foods and human health include:
1. Antibiotic resistance from marker genes
2. Hidden allergens from marker genes
3. Production of new or increased levels of toxins in food crops
4. Unknown substances occurring in foods

18. What are the benefits of genetically engineered foods?
Genetically engineered foods are becoming more and more common in the marketplace.
Many of our favorite food products are now being produced with some degree of genetic engineering.
There are many possible benefits to genetically engineered foods.

19. What are the benefits of genetically engineered foods?
Some benefits include:
A. More nutritious foods
B. More taste-appealing foods
C. Faster growing plants and animals, due to engineering, produce a readily available food supply.

20. What are the benefits of genetically engineered foods?
D. Engineered plant species may be less dependent on environmental resources and may need fewer chemicals and pesticides.
E. Increased production of food for medicinal purposes, or foods with specific benefits to medicine

21. What are the concerns of genetically engineered foods?
Along with the benefits of genetically engineered foods, there are also concerns of the possible negative impacts of these food products.
Some of the possible concerns of genetically engineered food products are:
A. The unexpected, and possibly harmful, side effects of a genetically modified food source

22. What are the concerns of genetically engineered foods?
B. By modifying a plant or animal, certain species may become more susceptible to other diseases or factors not considered by the scientist.
C. Genetically engineered plants and animals may interbreed with natural species, causing unexpected side effects or the eventual extinction of the natural species.

23. What are the roles of the USDA, EPA, and FDA in regulating biotechnology products?
Our government has several agencies that all must work together to regulate the growing number of biotechnology products.
Each of these agencies has a specific role to play in ensuring a safe and reliable food supply for our country and the rest of the world.

24. What are the roles of the USDA, EPA, and FDA in regulating biotechnology products?
A. There are three basic agencies responsible for the regulation of genetically engineered food products.
1. USDA—The United States Department of Agriculture oversees all aspects of agriculture in the United States.
2. EPA—The Environmental Protection Agency is involved with the protection of our environment and pollution laws.
3. FDA—The Food and Drug Administration sets forth policy and regulations concerning our food supply.

25. What are the roles of the USDA, EPA, and FDA in regulating biotechnology products?
B. Each of these agencies has a specific role in the regulation of biotechnology products.
1. The USDA ensures that all biotechnology products to be grown or produced in the United States adhere to all agricultural regulations and laws and that each product is safe for consumption and exportation.

26. What are the roles of the USDA, EPA, and FDA in regulating biotechnology products?
2. The EPA ensures that the production of all biotechnology products does not create any negative environmental impacts and that the resulting genetically engineered organisms do not harm the existing environment.
The EPA also regulates any pollution that may occur with the production of these organisms.

27. What are the roles of the USDA, EPA, and FDA in regulating biotechnology products?
3. The FDA ensures that any food product or medicine created by biotechnology is safe for human consumption and shows no negative side effects.
The FDA also monitors storage conditions and shelf life of genetically engineered products.

28. Review
What are the advantages and progress created by agricultural biotechnology?
What are the issues, concerns, and potential negative impacts created by agricultural biotechnology?

29. Review What are the benefits of genetically engineered foods?
What are the concerns of genetically engineered foods?
What are the roles of the USDA, EPA, and FDA in regulating biotechnology products?