TITLE:
Advances in Transgenic Vegetable and Fruit Breeding
AUTHORS:
João Silva Dias, Rodomiro Ortiz
KEYWORDS:
Biosafety, Fruits, GM-Crops, GMO, Health Benefits, IPM, Market, Nutrition, Plant Breeding, Sustainability, Vegetables
JOURNAL NAME:
Agricultural Sciences,
Vol.5 No.14,
December
19,
2014
ABSTRACT: Vegetables and fruits
are grown worldwide and play an important role in human diets because they provide
vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, and phytochemicals. Vegetables and fruits are
also associated with improvement of gastrointestinal health, good vision, and reduced
risk of heart disease, stroke, chronic diseases such as diabetes, and some forms
of cancer. Vegetable and fruit production suffers from many biotic stresses caused
by pathogens, pests, and weeds and requires high amounts of plant protection products
per hectare. United States vegetables farmers are benefiting from growing transgenic
squash cultivars resistant to Zucchini yellow mosaic virus, Watermelon
mosaic virus, and Cucumber mosaic virus, which were deregulated and commercialized
since 1996. Bt-sweet corn has also proven effective for control of some lepidopteran
species and continues to be accepted in the fresh market in the USA, and Bt-fresh-market
sweet corn hybrids are released almost every year. Likewise, transgenic Bt-eggplant
bred to reduce pesticide use is now grown by farmers in Bangladesh. Transgenic papaya
cultivars carrying the coat-protein gene provide effective protection against Papaya
ring spot virus elsewhere. The transgenic “Honey Sweet” plum cultivar provides an interesting germplasm source for Plum
pox virus control. Enhanced host plant resistance to Xanthomonas campestris pv. musacearum, which
causes the devastating banana Xanthomonas wilt in the Great Lakes Region
of Africa, was achieved by plant genetic engineering. There are other vegetable
and fruit crops in the pipeline that have been genetically modified to enhance their
host plant resistance to insects and plant pathogens, to show herbicide tolerance,
and to improve features such as slow ripening that extends the shelf-life of the
produce. Consumers could benefit further from eating more nutritious transgenic
vegetables and fruits. Transgenic plant breeding therefore provides genetically
enhanced seed embedded technology that contributes to integrated pest management
in horticulture by reducing pesticide sprays as well as improving food safety by
minimizing pesticide residues. Furthermore, herbicide-tolerant transgenic crops
can help reducing plough in fields, thereby saving fuel because of less tractor
use, which also protects the structure of the soil by reducing its erosion. Transgenic
vegetable and fruit crops could make important contributions to sustainable vegetable
production and for more nutritious and healthy food. Countries vary, however, in
their market standards of acceptance of transgenic crops. Biotechnology products
will be successful if clear advantages and safety are demonstrated to both
growers and consumers.