Seeds of Concern: The Genetic Manipulation of Plants

Seeds of Concern: The Genetic Manipulation of Plants

by D A Murray, Writer and Research, Australia

Pub Date: January 2003
Paperback
158 pages

Readership
Students and general readers in plant and crop sciences, biotechnology.
8 pages colour plates

Key Features
• Author is a well known plant scientist
• Includes chapters on the impacts on genetically modified plants, intellectual property issues and hazards of herbicide-resistant plants

Main Description
This book makes a significant contribution to the debate about the applications and implications of gene technology from the perspective of a plant biologist. It is written in an accessible way and therefore will be appropriate for non-specialists and the more general reader, as well as students and others in plant breeding and biotechnology. The author is a well-known Australian botanist, who has written or edited several previous books on both academic and popular topics in plant science. In this book he addresses questions such as:
• How are genetically modified plants produced
• Which breeding goals are worthwhile?
• Can the escape of transferred genes be controlled?
• Who is monitoring the unexpected effects of gene transfer?
• Will GM plants ever be acceptable to organic growers?

Main Contents
• Introduction: Cells, genes and chromosomes
• How genetically modified plants are produced
• The hazards of herbicide-resistant plants
• Setting priorities for plant improvement
• Proposals with nutritional, medical or utilitarian goals
• Environmental and health impacts of genetically modified plants
• Intellectual property issues
• Impacts of genetically modified plants in the third world
• Loose ends