Possible problems associated with genetic modification

[wiggleandawalk]

Hi, It would be great if you could help me out.

I am just after Possible problems associated with genetic modification??

Just naming one and giving a little detail would help...

This is to just wrap up my assignment, and i can move on to the next...!!

thanx

[kotoreru]

What if you give a plant a gene that infers resistance to herbicides? How would you control the plant should it become a weed and begin affecting ecosystems?

Just one simple example.

[Darby]

How exactly could a plant "become" a weed?

Although there are issues with viral and bacterial translocation of herbicide resistance genes to local weeds.

And if we put a new gene into a plant, it produces a protein that it didn't before - what are the effects of that protein, beyond the intended ones, on the eventual consumers?

[kotoreru]

How exactly could a plant "become" a weed?

Was that a question for me or our friend wiggleandawalk here?

[mith]

Case study, bt crops.

[Darby]

kotoreru, the question was for you - weeds have very particular abilities that shouldn't just "appear" because a gene or two has been manipulated in a domestic plant, which are very unweedlike.

And certain weed qualities would be preferable in crop plants...

[david23]

Ahh are we talking about the same definition of weed. Here in where I am, a flower is considered a weed because it sucks nutrients from someone's perfect lawn. One problem with giving say a plant of your interest a herbicide gene (using a vector just for fun) is that plants tend to share genes with other plants. This is known already, I'll have to look up why if you want me to, maybe during pollination. But when that happens, your weeds that are sucking nutrients from your lawn will become resistant too. This is one of toughest problems agriculture companies are stuck with. Right now, everyone I know is spending effort on developing more structural based herbicides just like what the drug companies are doing with drugs. Most of the time you are just trying to inhibit specific plant enzymes. Like for example the C4 plants have a whole different pathway compare to your normal plants.

[Geordie Boy]

Wiggleandwalk, i think what the above are trying to explain is that plants reproduce by spreading pollen via the wind or insects. If one of those plants has a gene inserted into that makes it create a protein used for pharmaceutical purposes and it cross-pollenates with a plant in the next field.
You now have an uncontrollable outbreak of plants carrying potentially dangerous pharmaceutical products.

Next thing you know we cant eat vegetables any more.