Genes from flowers

摘要

Dr Ishmael Khan notes issues associated with the introduction of genetic modification to agriculture and the food chain in Asia. AMONGST THE INCREASING number of GM crops that have been hitting the headlines are two staple food crops, rice and potato, both crucial to the diets of communities across Asia. Potato is a temperate root crop genetically modified for insect pest and disease resistance, and rice is a tropical cereal genetically modified for vitamin A synthesis and content. The only common feature is that the introduced genes have been transferred from the Amaryllidaceae. a family of flowering bulbs that is proving a fertile source for genes used to genetically modify important staple food crops