Transgenics: A new breed

The genome of cultivated sweet potato contains Agrobacterium T-DNAs with expressed genes: An example of a naturally transgenic food crop

“…Despite their cultivation on more than 170 million ha, the growth and consumption of transgenic crops still faces societal opposition. This has impeded their use in efforts to contribute to a more sustainable agricultural future (47)(48)(49)(50)(51)(52). Our data reveal that T-DNA integration, the interruption of an F-box gene, and the subsequent fixation of foreign T-DNA into the sweet potato genome occurred during the evolution and domestication of this crop, which is one of the world's most consumed foods (53).…”

Can we create “Elite Rice”—a multifunctional crop for food, feed, and bioenergy production?

“…Consequently, the improvement of rice traits such as grain yield, disease resistance, stress tolerance, and nutritional value (i.e. vitamins and vaccines) through genetic manipulation is an important strategy to ensure an adequate rice supply, reduce food security concerns, and provide rice growers with market opportunities [8,9]. The usefulness of genetically modified rice is exemplified by the β-carotene (provitamin A)-rich rice known as "Golden Rice", which was created to help alleviate human vitamin A deficiency, especially in impoverished and rural populations [10].…”

Towards application of genetic engineering in citriculture: 1) assessing dispersal, long-term stability and phenotypic impact of transgenes in citrus trees and 2) improving nutri-functional quality of orange fruit through metabolic engineering

“…In this sense, and as demonstrated in some market surveys (http://ageconsearch.umn.edu/bitstream/6407/2/469580 a.pdf) Onyango and Nayga, 2004;Costa-Font, et al, 2008), it is expected that the use of the GM technology could be much more accepted when the objective is to develop a functional food (FF), and even more if the functionality of this new food is proven using in vivo systems. For this reason, enrichment of crops with health-promoting phytonutrients has become one of the main improvement goals addressed by genetic transformation during the last decade (Cressey, 2013).…”

“…The modern tools of molecular biology are expected to throw more light on the functions of enzymes, their pathways, and the genes controlling them, broadening the range of possibilities for improvement. Moreover, despite that a consumers' reluctance to buy genetically modified foods has been reported (Vardi, et al, 2008), recent market studies showed that a higherquality fruit bringing tangible value to the consumer could improve the market acceptance of biotech citrus crops (Rommens, 2010;Cressey, 2013). The cost/benefit ratio will be the determining factor as to whether transgenic or GM citrus is going to be a commercial reality.…”