Sign In
Learn bits
World Affairs, Ecology & Environment
Mahesh

22/02/23 07:38 AM IST

For the first time, genetically modified trees have been planted in a US forest

In News
  • Genetically modified trees have been planted in the United States for the first time in a low-lying tract of southern Georgia's pine belt.
GM Trees
  • The poplars may be the first genetically modified trees planted in the United States outside of a research trial or a commercial fruit orchard.
  • Living Carbon, a San Francisco-based biotechnology company that produced the poplars, intends for its trees to be a large-scale solution to climate change.
  • Genetically modified trees, also known as GM trees, are trees that have been genetically modified using biotechnology.
  • These are done to enhance their desired traits, such as faster growth, disease resistance, or ability to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
  • These trees are created by introducing foreign genes into their DNA through techniques like gene editing or gene gun method.
Concerns
  • The long-term effects of GM trees on the environment and ecosystems are not yet fully understood.
  • There are concerns about the potential risks of cross-pollination with wild or non-GM trees, which could lead to unintended consequences.
  • Critics argue that GM trees could harm biodiversity and increase the use of harmful pesticides and herbicides.
Source- Indian Express

More Related Current Affairs View All

05 Mar

First-ever comprehensive survey of India’s river dolphins

'Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the results of the first-ever comprehensive population estimation of riverine dolphins – Gangetic and Indus dolphins – done in In

Read More

05 Mar

Arresting women at night

'The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court in Deepa versus S. Vijayalakshmi and Others ruled that the legal provision in the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, which

Read More

05 Mar

Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023

'The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) looking to wrap up public consultations on the draft Rules for the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 by Mar

Read More

India’s First Ai-Driven Magazine Generator

Generate Your Custom Current Affairs Magazine using our AI in just 3 steps