GM FOODS - A CONTROVERSY BETWEEN TRADITION AND MODERNITY

Genetically engineered plants are developed in a laboratory by altering their genetic makeup and are evaluated in the laboratory for desired qualities. This is accomplished by adding one or few genes to a native or a local genome using genetic engineering techniques. Genetically modified plants are generated by the biolistic particle gun method or by Agrobacterium tumefaciens mediated transformation. When plants of desired quality are produced, sufficient seeds are multiplied and the companies producing them have to apply for regulatory approval for field trials.