How is Genetic Modification Used to Solve Pests in Corn Crops

Problem

Fig. 1: Insect pests attacks and destroys 

corn crop (http://www.farminguk.com/News/

A-new-pest-for-maize-farmers_8439.html)

The problem is that insect pests kill corn crops, as shown in Fig. 1. Pests such as Black Cutworm  (Agrotis upsilon), True Armyworm (Pseudaletia unipuncta), Corn Flea Beetle (Chaetocnema pulicaria), Corn Earworm (Helicoverpa zea), and many more ("Insects and Pests of Field Crops: Corn Insects and Pests", omafra.gov.on.ca, section 1, 2, 3, 7)

These insects destroy crops and as a result, the safety and productivity of the affected corn crops are compromised. Insects can cause corn to wilt, rot, and make it unsafe to consume. Pests can also lower the efficiency of corn crops, because if crops are destroyed, they cannot be harvested, and therefore it becomes a useless waste. 

Different pests feeds on corn crops at different times of the year (spring, summer, autumn, winter) and there are so many species of pests to cause corn crop damage all year round. These damages might seem minimal and harmless, but collectively it heavily impacts the quality as well as quantity of corn produced. This is a huge concern because corn is one of the staple foods that the world needs in order to sustain itself, feeding over 34 billion bushels of corn per year to feed its population (2013, "How much corn do we consume?", marketwatch.com, paragraphs 4 and 5) This is why corn crops are so essential, and this is why we need to fix this global pest problem in corn crops.

Solution

Genetic modification can be used to solve pests in corn crops. Genetically Modified Organisms are organisms whose genes have been artificially modified, by taking genes from one organism and inserting that gene to another possibly entirely foreign organism (as illustrated in Fig. 2 below). This process is also known as genetic engineering or modification, because it involves "engineering" an organism, modifying it to fit the scientist's specification. These said organisms can be any living thing, consisting of both plants and animals. 

Fig. 2: Genes injected into corn through a syringe,
as an example of how genetic modification process happens
(http://chriskresser.com/are-gmos-safe)

In the past, artificial breeding was done, and scientists used this method to pass down a desired trait from a parent to the offspring. However, this method was unreliable, as the results were not guaranteed. Therefore, scientists created a process that we now call genetic modification, to produce what we now know as genetically modified organisms. This process results in organisms that contains carefully selected traits, which are selected by humans in order to produce a more consistent and overall better organism, for various purposes  such as farming, business, health ("What Is GMO", seedsofdeception.com, paragraphs 1, 2 and 5). 

We can use this method to solve pests in corn crops by altering corn’s genes to make it resistant to pests. A gene called The Bt delta endotoxin is inserted to corn crops, because it is effective against insects and caterpillars in particular. By putting this gene into corn crops, scientists are able to control the pests on these corns (Ric Bessin, "Bt-CORN: WHAT IT IS AND HOW IT WORKS", 2.ca.uky.edu, paragraphs 2, 4 and 5). In short, genetic modification in corn crops involve inserting a gene called Bt (as seen in Fig. 2), which makes crops resistant to pests and therefore can make it safer, more consistent, and have an overall better quality.

Benefits

• Genetic modification has it's great share of benefits. One of the biggest benefits of genetically modifying an organism is it's very efficient for farming, and for producing good crops. Genetic modifying is good for producing more crops, lower price for foods, better quality of crops, less pesticides, and therefore has a greater food safety (Susanna De Sousa, "Genetically Modified Organisms", socialactive.wordpress.com, section 1 paragraphs 2, 3 and 4). Genetically modified corn crops are safer and have a better quality, because it is not destroyed by pests (as shown in Fig. 3 below). This have a positive effect on the body because we are not eating potentially harmful destroyed corn crops.

• Genetic modifying has made it possible for various plants to be superior. In addition, genetically modified organisms are more efficient, and more crops can be harvested. Since with genetic modification less corn crops are affected by pests (as seen in Fig. 3 below), more corn can be harvested. Corn affected by pests has to be thrown away and wasted, so with less pest means greater corn production ("what are the benefits of GMO corn", livestrong.com, section 1 paragraph 1, section 2 paragraph 1) What is the significance for higher production of crops? The importance is that this allows prices for food to be lower, and has a positive effect in regards to the economy.

Fig. 3: the difference between Standard non-GMO corn vs Modified GMO corn is apparent, GMO corn is much more consistent and has a superior quality (http://info.abcr.com/Blog/bid/333639/Who-s-afraid-of-the-GMO-Valid-concerns-or-food-safety-bogeymen)

Limitations

• Genetic modifying triggers some ethical and religious issues to emerge, and many are trying to stop it because of their own reasons. However, most reasons concern genetic modifying with animals, which does not concern our particular range of research. Most people think that it is not right to toy with the natural occurring world, and that genetic modification is primarily trying to revamp the human nature itself. This is related to the fact that ‘altering’ nature can cause imbalance in the natural ecosystem, because affecting the gene of one organism can cause it’s surrounding environment to be affected as well. ("The Disadvantages of GMO Sweet Corn", healthyeating.sfgate.com, section 5 paragraph 1) 

• Another limitation of genetically modified corn is that it’s effect on human’s health are not determined yet. ("Peer Review of GMO Safety Studies Finds Significant Flaws", gmo-awareness.com, section 1 paragraphs 1 and 2). Since the genes in corn are not natural, it may trigger allergies in some. In addition, genes from allergenic organisms can be transferred to corn too, causing more allergies. In addition, the toxicity of Bt gene is not determined yet. In humans, it showed no problems, but a group of scientists did a research on rats, and it hugely affected their immune system (as shown in Fig. 4 below). If the same effect goes to humans, it can cause a fatal damage to human’s system and health ("The Disadvantages of GMO Sweet Corn", healthyeating.sfgate.com, section 2 paragraph 1, section 3 paragraph 1, section 4 paragraph 1).

  
  

  Fig. 4: Affect of GMO corn on rat's health, tumor growth in rats as a result of toxicity of GMO corn.
  (http://foodmatters.tv/articles-1/gm-corn-linked-to-cancer-tumors)

Ethical Issues

There are some ethical issues in regards to genetic modifying that can affect the success of this method. Firstly, genetically modifying an organism means changing the natural world, and raises some religious concerns such as 'playing god'. In addition, a large portion of genetically modified organisms are not labeled properly, and therefore people are not aware of what they are consuming. Some religions like Jews are only allowed to consume what is from God, and Buddhists are not allowed to consume any form of toxic (which might be present in GMO). Most religions also believe in making harmony of the natural world, not trying to change it or alter it in any way. By not properly labeling GMO foods, religious beliefs are being violated without the person even realizing, which is unfair and terrible ("Your spiritual right to GMO labeling", naturalnews.com, paragraphs 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7). This also raises more ethical issues not only because people deserve to know what they are putting in their bodies, but also because they might be allergic to GMO (because GMO can cause allergies and health issues too). 

Furthermore, companies that sell GMO foods are corrupted, and they make GMO foods just for economical purpose. A company called Monsanto, one of the largest and most well known GMO producer is highly corrupt. This company lies about GMO being safe, causes negative agricultural impact, and uses corrupt methods in order to gain more profit ("10 Reasons Why Monsanto Is Corrupt from Its Core", seattleorganicrestaurants.com, entire article). These ethical issues give a bad reputation to GMO, and revolts people from consuming genetically modified organisms. This can hugely affect the success of this method because people are the consumers of GMO, and without the people supporting this method, it will all be a waste of time, money, and effort. If people were to buy normal corn as supposed to GMO corn anyways, then GMO corn is useless in that scenario. Demand equals to production, so if nobody demands for GMO products, then they will stop producing GMO products and GMO corn would be a failed method in that case. It is very important to get people's support by eliminating any ethical and religious concern in regards to GMO corn, to ensure that all the scientific research and effort in regards to this method will be successful and not go to waste.

Bibliography:

• "10 Reasons Why Monsanto Is Corrupt from Its Core." 10 Reasons Why Monsanto Is Polluted and Corrupted from Its Core. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2014. <http://www.seattleorganicrestaurants.com/vegan-whole food/Monsanto-corruption-gmo.php>.
• "Bt-CORN: WHAT IT IS AND HOW IT WORKS." Bt-CORN: WHAT IT IS AND HOW IT WORKS. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2014. <http://www2.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef130.asp>.
• "The Disadvantages of GMO Sweet Corn." Healthy Eating. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Oct. 2014. <http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/disadvantages-gmo-sweet-corn-9024.html>.
• "GMO Defined." GMO Awareness. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Oct. 2014.
• "How Much Corn Do We Consume?" The Tell RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Oct. 2014. <http://blogs.marketwatch.com/thetell/2013/03/07/how-much-corn-do-we-consume/>.
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• "Militarism as a Cause of World War I." Alpha History. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2014. <http://alphahistory.com/worldwar1/militarism/>.
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• "Peer Review of GMO Safety Studies Finds Significant Flaws." GMO Awareness. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2014. <http%3A%2F%2Fgmo-awareness.com%2F>.
• "What Are the Benefits of GMO Corn?" LIVESTRONG.COM. LIVESTRONG.COM, 16 Aug. 2013. Web. 20 Oct. 2014. <http://www.livestrong.com/article/254564-what-are-the-benefits-of-gmo-corn/>.
• "What Is GMO?" Seeds of Deception. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Oct. 2014. <http://seedsofdeception.com/what-is-gmo/>.