The approval of the world's first transgenic wheat in Argentina

Published 2021년 8월 10일

Tridge summary

Argentina became the first country to approve the use of transgenic wheat, specifically HB4 wheat, which is resistant to drought and herbicide glufosinate. This development, led by CONICET-UNL researcher Raquel Chan, could provide agricultural stability to small producers. However, the use of transgenic crops is controversial due to their association with agrochemicals and the dominance of large companies in their development. Gustavo Schrauf, a professor of Genetics, argues that genetic engineering has the potential to reduce the use of agrochemicals and notes the possibility of modifying tomato genetics to prevent mite attacks. The debate surrounding transgenic crops highlights the need for a social discussion on their benefits and the potential to reduce agrochemical use.

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Original content

In October 2020, Argentina became the first country in the world to approve the use of a transgenic wheat. The HB4 wheat, the first to be developed in the world, reignited the debate on the use of transgenic crops in our country and its implications for human health and food sovereignty. In this regard, Gustavo Schrauf, professor of the Department of Genetics at the Faculty of Agronomy of the UBA (FAUBA), presented his perspectives on the different uses and applications of this technology and the roots of the strong debate that separates the waters between their detractors and their defenders. Transgenesis in nature and in the laboratory Transgenesis occurs when genetic material belonging to another unrelated species is incorporated into the genome of an organism. Although this process is usually associated with human intervention, the truth is that it occurs in nature. For example, this is the case of the sweet potato that is grown for human consumption, which presents genetic ...

Source: On24