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Mapping the Plant Genome
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20583 |
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Section : |
NATURAL SCIENCE
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| Issue
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11 / 1992 |
3,133 Words |
| Author
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Gail Dutton
Gail Dutton is an independent writer specializing in science
and technology. She lives in Southern California. |
Unless you have a garden, the sweet, rich taste of vine-ripened tomatoes is a rare commodity--and will remain so until genetically engineered tomatoes appear in supermarkets in 1993. And they will soon be joined by other crops such as barley, lettuce, rice, as well as trees and flowers that have been improved by genetic research.
Whether there will be protests is anybody's guess. The FDA has determined that genetically engineered fruits, vegetables, and grains will be treated just like other foods. Some grocers, however, hope to ward off boycotts by labeling these foods as engineered, and some biotech companies plan to label the food themselves to tout their benefits.
This is not to say that the foods and plants you buy will have been altered genetically. Some of them will be propagated and grown the usual way, with biotech research merely helping breeders make the most effective choices. In others cases, naturally occurring genes will be inserted into existing plants to make them more nutritious, tolerant of cold or drought, resistant to pests or disease, or simply more flavorful [see "Genetic Engineering's Brave New World," The World & I, August 1991, pp. 318-325].
This research is being sponsored by the Plant Genome Mapping Project funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). This project is mapping the genes (which determine traits) along the strands of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) that form the chromosomes in each cell. The genomes--all the genes in all the chromosomes--contain all the information needed to reproduce a given organism. By locating individual genes and determining the traits they control, scientists can copy them so those traits can be extended to other plants.
The project started in the fall of 1990 and is geared to meet market demand. It concentrates on economically important crops, such as barley, wheat, rice, tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, onions, apples, roses, sugarcane, cotton, peas, peaches, oats, and citrus crops. The U.S Forest Service and the paper industry are also part of the project and are interested in mapping and improving such trees as firs, cottonwoods, aspens, and loblolly pines.
William Isgrigg, director of marketing and administration for the Washington State Barley Commission, says that "most traditional breeding practices are like playing darts in the dark…. You don't hit the bull's eye unless you're lucky. The mapping project will turn on the lights, and you can hit
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