1. What is biotechnology?

Biotechnology is broadly defined as the use of biological processes of microbes, and of plants or animal cells to develop new products for the benefit of humans. For example, microscopic organisms are used in fermentation to produce vinegar and yoghurt, as well as leavened bread. Other products of biotechnology include insulin to treat diabetes and a vaccine against Hepatitis B.

2. What are Bt crops?

Bt crops are crops genetically engineered to carry the gene from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis. The bacteria produces a protein that is toxic when ingested by certain Lepidopteran insects. Crops containing the Bt gene are able to produce this toxin, thereby providing protection throughout the entire plant.

3. What is Bt cotton?

Bt cotton is genetically engineered cotton to control tobacco budworms, bollworms, and pink bollworms.

Bt corn is genetically engineered corn to provide protection against the European corn borer.

5. What is Cell?

Cell is the smallest structural unit of living organisms that is able to grow and reproduce independently.

In a very broadly, is a technique used to alter or move genetic material (genes) of living cells. Narrower definitions are used by agencies that regulate genetically modified organisms (GMO's). In the U.S., under guidelines issued by USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, genetic engineering is defined as the genetic modification of organisms by recombinant DNA techniques (7CFR340: 340.1), while definitions used in Europe are somewhat broader.

7. What are Herbicide-tolerant crops?

Crops that were developed to survive certain herbicides that previously would have destroyed the crop along with the targeted weeds, and allow farmers to use them as post-emergent herbicides, providing an effective weed control. The most common herbicide-tolerant crops (cotton, corn, soybeans, and canola) are Roundup Ready (RR) crops resistant to glyphosate, a herbicide effective on many species of grasses, broadleaf weeds, and sedges. Other genetically modified herbicide-tolerant crops include Liberty Link (LL) corn resistant to glufosinate-ammonium, and BXN cotton resistant to bromoxynil.

They are resulted from the insertion of genetic material from another organism so that the plant will exhibit a desired trait. Recombinant DNA techniques (DNA formed by combining segments of DNA from different organisms) are usually used.

Plant breeding is the use of techniques involving crossing plants from the same or closely related species to produce varieties with particular characteristics (traits) which are carried in the genes of the plants and passed on to future generations. It combines all the genetic traits of the two plants. Thus, there may be some undesirable traits in the offspring plant. Plants with the desired characteristics are then selected for breeding. The ability to obtain the desired features is dependent on chance. This process is very time-consuming and does not always result in a desirable plant.

Plant biotechnology is the addition of selected traits to plants to develop new plant varieties. It is an improvement on traditional plant breeding. For centuries, farmers have worked to develop new crops that will provide better yields and better quality foods. Biotechnology allows the plant breeder a wider choice of traits to chose from and allows the trait to be realized in a more precise manner and within a shorter time period. Plant biotechnology offers an additional, more accurate, sustainable method to improve the yield of existing farmlands and produce a more abundant food supply.

Plants developed through biotechnology carry specific genetic traits or characteristics that would be difficult or impossible to acquire using traditional plant breeding practices. Plant biotechnology makes it possible to transfer a single desired trait from any organism to a plant.

Plant biotechnology allows for the transfer of one or a few desired genetic traits without undesirable traits. For example, researchers are developing plants with a built-in protection against a specific insect, a built-in protection against a specific plant disease, a built-in tolerance to a specific herbicide (weed killer), improved nutrient content, and a number of other beneficial traits.

Foods developed through plant biotechnology are generally equivalent to foods developed through traditional plant breeding. "Equivalent" here means that there is no meaningful change in nutritional value or composition of the food. In addition, these foods are subject to the same stringent regulatory process applied to all foods. From the food safety point of view, regulators and the industry working together will ensure that the food available will be in no way less safe than what is available now.

The safety of plant biotechnology is recognised by the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization of the United Nations, US Food and Drug Administration and the Australia New Zealand Food Authority.

Yes there are safeguards against out-crossing in the experimental stage. Out-crossing is the unintentional breeding of a domestic crop with a related species. Some crops developed through plant biotechnology carry traits that protect the crops from a specific plant disease or insect pest, or confer a tolerance to a specific herbicide.

Great care is taken to develop new plant varieties that have no weed relatives, do not outcross to weed relatives or whose weed relatives exist only in regions where the domestic crops are not grown. Like traditionally-bred plants, a new plant cannot confer its traits on an unrelated plant species.

Adapting to a changing environment is the natural survival mechanism of all living organisms. Through the natural process of genetic change and adaptation, it is always possible for an insect population or a plant disease strain to build a resistance to a chemical insecticide or fungicide, a protective trait in a plant or to any number of the techniques used to fight plant pests. In some cases of genetically engineered plants, the likelihood of resistance actually may be less than that observed with traditional means of pest control. Nevertheless, to help reduce the potential for resistance development, consideration must be given to resistance management techniques for genetically modified plants.

Traditional pesticides have been brought to market for decades without plans in place to delay resistance. By contrast, the development of some of the first genetically modified plants included almost a decade of research to minimize the potential of resistance development. This kind of research had never been done before. The research resulted in strategies to minimize the possibilities of resistance through conscientious programs and carefully chosen genetic traits.

No. There is no relationship between an antibiotic-resistance marker gene used in plants and antibiotic resistance in humans. The marker gene is used in research to help researchers distinguish a new plant variety from related plants. When the plants are exposed to the target antibiotic in the laboratory, the new plant variety will continue to grow, unaffected by the antibiotic, allowing the researcher to identify and select for plants that have the desired trait.

An antibiotic-resistance marker gene is not an antibiotic. It produces a protein that allows only plants containing the marker gene to grow in the presence of a specific antibiotic. This protein is broken down in the digestive tract. Therefore, the marker gene product cannot function in the human body. It cannot inactivate antibiotics and the likelihood of an antibiotic resistant gene being transferred from food to bacteria in the human gut is very small.

18. Are the crops and foods developed using biotechnology different from those developed using traditional breeding?

Biotechnology is an evolution of traditional agricultural methods. Over the past 10,000 years, people have routinely used their knowledge of plants to improve food production. Biotechnology is the latest development in the evolution of agricultural methods. Farmers used to rely on plant breeding to add or eliminate specific genetic traits in a plant. For example, because of plant breeding, corn today looks nothing like it did one hundred years ago. Although it typically took several growing seasons to produce a plant that expressed a desired trait, farmers were eventually able to produce crops that:

• were resistant to drought, insect pests or diseases

• possessed stronger stalks to withstand strong winds

• produced higher yields

Genetic modification is a more efficient and precise way to achieve the benefits of crop improvement. Using new technologies, scientists are now able to pin-point the specific gene responsible for a particular trait and then extract or add that gene to a specific plant.

Biotechnology is an element in sustainable agriculture that will benefit the environment. Benefits include reduced pesticide use, water and soil conservation and greater safety for workers and the ecosystem.

Many crops - including tomatoes, corn, potatoes and cotton - now have the internal ability to repel insects. Consequently, fewer applications of insecticide need to be applied to the plant. A certain type of corn used to feed hogs will reduce the phytic acid in animal waste that traditionally cause algae to grow in water supplies. Finally, the ability to obtain greater crop yield from existing land decreases the need to convert forests to farmland.

There are no scientific studies suggesting this kind of scenario could occur as a result of crops produced using biotechnology. There are, however, many systems in place - including crop rotation, hybrid rotation and integrated pest management - as a precautionary measure to help prevent it from occurring. Insects and weeds already evolve and develop tolerance or resistance to their environment, so biotechnology can potentially better manage this evolution in resistance.

In May 1999, Nature magazine published a letter from researchers at Cornell University that reported findings suggesting further research is needed into the relationship between pollen from select strains of Bt corn (corn which has been genetically modified to produce a protein to protect against insects) and the Monarch caterpillar. Since that publication, many university researchers, including others at Cornell, have stepped forward to stress that the Monarch study did not represent natural conditions and that extensive environmental research has established the safety of Bt corn on non-target insects, such as the ladybird beetle, honeybee and the green lacewing, in the natural environment.

Dr John Losey, the Cornell University entomology professor who conducted the research, agreed with the researchers and noted, "Our study was conducted in the laboratory and, while it raises an important issue, it would be inappropriate to draw any conclusions about the risk to Monarch populations in the field, based solely on these initial results."

As with any scientific issue, several studies are needed before conclusions can be made.

From years of research, scientists know that the benefits of food biotechnology are enormous. The scientific consensus is that the risks associated with food biotechnology products are fundamentally the same as for other foods. Current science shows that foods produced using biotechnology are safe to consume and a host of regulatory authorities including the US FDA, the United States Department of Agriculture and the US Environmental Protection Agency have determined that these products are safe to introduce into the food supply.

While there is no such thing as "zero risk" for any food, consumers can be confident that foods produced using biotechnology meet the same stringent safety standards as foods producing using conventional methods.