Effect of biotechnology on biodiversity
Journal Title: International Journal of Farming and Allied Sciences - Year 2014, Vol 3, Issue 8
Abstract
Biotechnology has emerged as a key technology for economic development in the next century. Some of scientists believe that biodiversity is threatened by agriculture as whole, and particularly also by traditional methods of agriculture. Knowledge-based agriculture, including GM crops, can reduce this threat in the future. For instance, no-tillage practices and the replacement of pesticides through BT crops can improve fauna in fields, but Agroecologists (the defender of sustainable and organic agriculture) have another idea. They believe that Bt crops can reduce the microbial population, because the biological cycles are disabling in the fields, and decrease the competition among organisms and, their reasons; First, GM crops have resulted in small yield increases, thus they may not contribute much too increased food production. Second, GM crops pose a threat to crop biodiversity, and Finally, GM crops were introduced by private companies that have intellectual property rights to the main components of the technology. Geneticists argue that wide variabilities in genotypes and phenotypes within a species increase its chances for adaptation to changing environments and thus increase the likelihood of long term survival of at least some members of a species, and therefore reduction of diversity in our own environment may not be good.
Authors and Affiliations
Soran Amini, Saeed Sharafi ,Hamid Reza Komeili and Niloofar Alavi Tabaee
Keywords
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