Apples. All From the Same Seed?

Apples originally all came from one seed, transplanted across the Silk Road by being tossed out by travelers between China and Europe. Scientist from an article posted in Popular Science believe that any seed could give you any type of apple there is today. The discarded cores cross pollinated with soft and sour crab varieties closer to Asia, while in Europe a new species was created. In 1870 Iowa a random seedling gave a farmer dark red apple which blossomed into the now Red Delicious that was picked for breeding due to having a longer shelf life. Genetic research shows that Granny Smith apples also came from the domestic apple, just a different variation. Honeycrisps were developed at the University Minnesota for a sweeter juicier type of apple. They also developed an apple called MN1627 which was never sold publicly but it had cells twice as large as the Honeycrisp for a crunchier skin. A Cosmic Crisp apple, grown in Washington State on 11.6 million trees will be sold sometime in 2019, which is a mix of sweet and tart.

The scientists believe that every apple comes from one seed. I believe that they all started as one but with all of the genetic mutations that have created all types of apples, I find it hard to believe that if I were to drop any apple seed into the ground that I have the possibility to get any kind. Apples grow everywhere and those conditions also play a role in the type of apple that is grown. 

What is a Genetically Modified Crop?

It is certain, we often hear the phrase "G.M.O" in the grocery store, but are we supposed to stray away from it? G.M.O stands for genetically modified organism. These gene-editing crops are leading to great controversy, especially in European countries who aren't as accepting of this as the US. In reality though, breeding crops to get useful traits for future generations have been done since the agricultural revolution. In fact, by the 1920's, scientists found that they could create mutations in plants by using chemicals or X-rays. It was in the 1970's when microbiologists discovered how to put genes from humans and other species into bacteria.

They used this method to further perfect their method to insert genes into plants to hep growth and function. For example, a variety of corn received a gene from a specific bacteria that allowed it to produce an insect- killing toxin. This is when environmental groups started to fight back. They said that these genes were going to make the crop harmful to humans, and the crop would spread. The National Academy of Sciences, in the US, has discovered no evidence that genetically modified plants are any more harmful than conventionally bred ones.

So, the industry of these genetically modified crops in the US are booming with over 185 million acres planted in 2017; but Europe only planted 325,000 acres across the continent. Obviously, the differences in their approaches results in the differences in their crop cultivation. It looks as if the US will continue to stray away from Europe despite their warning. Not to say that every person in the US agrees with what is genetically modified and what is genetically edited, and which should be regulated. Dr. Wolt says it best in the article, once we get every one on the same page with one thing, a new technology will come along and there will be controversy again. I personally see no problem with genetically editing our food products, as long as we are doing it to benefit our society. There simply isn't enough land to grow food for the continuous growing population, so if science can create a way to make crops larger, or make the crop season last longer; than I see no issue with that. Of course, as long as they see no negative effect on human health.

Say Sayonara to Celiac Complications

Celiac disease is commonly known as the "gluten allergy." This disease causes an immune reaction when one consumes gluten. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye and barley. A recent article in New Scientist, written by Michale Le Page, explains a new strain of wheat that may bring these harmful immune reactions to an end. For those people effected by the celiac disease, baking and carb consuming can be a pretty difficult thing to do. The gluten causes an attack on the small intestine, which results in unwelcoming side effects, some of which can be severe. Gliadins are the key group of gluten that causes the celiac disease to flare up. With that being said, a group of people from the Institute for Sustainable Agriculture in Spain have come up with a plan to do without. By genetically modifying a strain of wheat, they were able to remove approximately 90% of the gliadins. A technique known as RNA interference was used at first trial, which is a process that stops certain proteins from forming. CRISPR gene-editing was used second. This was a more promising approach, since this technique was able to eliminate the genes all together. The team in Spain states that they have already done away with 35 of the 45 genes of the gliadin protein genes. Thankfully, I don't have celiac disease, but I know people that do. From what I understand, gluten free products are not very appetizing. Although this is still a rather new experiment with less than 50 people participating in Mexico, I believe that this could really change things for those suffering from celiac disease in the future.

Genetic Modifications to Tobacco May Result in a Solution to World Hunger

Ten years ago, scientists at the University of Illinois thought of the idea to alleviate world hunger by tinkering with photosynthesis in crops. Funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, they have made significant progress. Working with tobacco as the test crop, the scientists were able to increase productivity by 20 percent. This is an incredible number considering other agricultural methods only result in a 1 or 2 percent increase. When plants receive excessive sunlight, they activate a mechanism that sheds the extra energy off as heat. The genes that are introduced are to minimize the amount of time the mechanism takes so that the plants can get back to carbohydrate production more quickly.

The scientists and the foundation have no interest in increasing the productivity of tobacco, but it is a fast and easy plant to genetically alter, making it ideal. The plan is to begin doing the same alterations on food crops. They think that crop yields can be improved by certain genetic changes. The head scientist on the work claims that, if all goes well, productivity increases of 50 percent may eventually be achievable. This would completely change the face of the agricultural world. Global hunger would virtually vanish. If this experiment is a success, genetically modified organisms would undoubtedly be essential, squashing the debate over whether or not it is just. This research has not yet proved that the international food supply could increase. The scientists still have a long way to go towards proving their goal, but the work is very promising.

As the global population continues to grow, world hunger is becoming an increasingly troublesome issue. Scientists are testing all sorts of ideas to solve this problem. This study is one of the more intriguing experiments that I have come across. Genetically modified organisms have already proved to be useful in the agriculture industry. If the scientists of this work are able to deliver the same results in food crops, the solution to world hunger may be taking a massive step forward.

Breakthrough in the Genetic Modification of Grain Crops

A recent study has led to a breakthrough in the genetic modification of grains. Despite years of experiments, it has been extremely difficult for scientists to develop an efficient method of modifying the genetics of grain crops. When transforming most crops, the typical method is to inject tissue with Agrobacterium. Agrobacterium naturally transfers hand-picked DNA to the host genome. Experimenters then stimulate the tissue to regenerate it into whole plants. The problem with this method is that Agrobacterium infects only a limited range of grain crops. 

A study by a team of researchers at DuPont led to an alternative method of transformation. These researchers added morphogenic genes to the other genes being genetically modified. Morphogenic genes are known to promote the growth of embryonic tissue; as a result of this addition, transformation rates substantially increased for maize, sugarcane, sorghum, and rice. This work expanded the range of crops that can be used for efficient genetic modification. 

Although controversial, the use of genetic modification is undoubtedly useful. According to the World Health Programme, approximately one in nine people on Earth do not have enough food to lead healthy, active lives. With a growing population, this statistic will only get worse. Genetically modified organisms offer a solution to this problem. Scientists are continually improving methods to create stronger, healthier crops. The work in this study opens the door to experiments on grain crops. This can turn out to be a massive breakthrough in the world hunger crisis.