What crops are being genetically engineered?

There are two main uses of genetic engineering in crops:

1) Herbicide tolerance. These crops are engineered to survive heavier applications of weed killers so farmers don’t have to be as careful with their applications of herbicides. For example, Monsanto has engineered crops that are resistant to their herbicide called Roundup so farmers can apply more Roundup without killing their crops. These herbicide tolerant crops account for 74% of all genetically engineered crops.

2) Pesticide crops. These are crops that produce their own pesticides, so instead of applying the pesticide on top of the plant, each cell of the plant from the root to the leaves contains the pesticide. For instance, Bt corn contains a toxin that is usually produced by the Bacillus thuringiensis bacterium, a pesticide that farmers have used for a long time. These kinds of crops account for 19% of all genetically engineered crops.

There are some crops that do both, are herbicide tolerant and produce pesticides. These account for almost 7% of genetically engineered crops. So together, these three kinds of crops account for nearly 100% of the genetically engineered crops being grown today, crops that produce their own pesticide and crops that can withstand heavier herbicide applications.

There are other uses of genetic engineering, too: perhaps most famously here in Hawaii are the genetically engineered crops that are engineered to resist viruses. Engineers created a papaya here in Hawaii that was resistant to the ring spot virus. (To learn more about the impacts the GE papaya has had on local farmers, see “Impacts on Farmers” section below.)

And there are many new crops under development, some of which are being grown and tested here in Hawaii. For instance, the “Terminator” seed technology produces crops that have sterile seeds, so that farmers are forced to buy new seeds every year instead of being able to save and share them. Another kind of crop being developed can produce pharmaceutical proteins, vaccines, and industrial solvents in plants and animals. This is called “biopharming.” Biopharming poses a serious risk to our food supply, because scientists are experimenting with this new technology in food crops like corn, which can spread their pollen up to two miles away. As of November 2002, 36 permits had been issued for the growing and testing of biopharmaceutical crops here in Hawaii.

Because foods with genetically engineered crops are not labeled, it’s hard to know when we’re eating something that has been genetically engineered. It has been less than 10 years since these foods were put on the market, but by now over 70% of our soybeans, corn, cotton, and canola are genetically engineered. The majority of processed foods contain one or more of these ingredients, including soy lecithin, soy oil, corn syrup, corn starch, and soy protein. Next time you go grocery shopping, check out the labels of the foods you buy and look for corn, soy, and cotton derivatives. It is amazing to see how many foods contain these ingredients.

And many more genetically engineered ingredients are on the way, including fish, lettuce, peppers, melons, peas, rice, wheat, strawberries, raspberries, pineapples, bananas, apples, and pigs.

Find out more:
	What is genetic engineering?		How is genetic engineering different from traditional crop breeding?
	What crops are being genetically engineered?		Who is doing genetic engineering? Why are they doing it?
	How are these crops regulated?		What impact will genetic engineering have on Hawaii's farmers?
	How do genetically engineered crops and foods affect our health?		What effect will genetic engineering have on Hawaii's environment?
	Where are these experiments being conducted?