Is traditional breeding technology better than transgenic technology?

Gene transfer exists widely in nature, including gene transfer within species and between species. Cross-pollination in the plant kingdom is a typical intraspecies gene transfer phenomenon. The process of Agrobacterium-infected plant wounds is a typical case of gene transfer between species. Agrobacterium is a kind of Gram-negative bacteria ubiquitous in soil, which can infect the injured parts of most dicotyledonous plants under natural conditions and induce crown gall or hairy roots. Both Agrobacterium tumefaciens and Agrobacterium rhizogenes have a segment of T-DNA, which can be inserted into plant genes after Agrobacterium enters cells through infected plant wounds. The discovery of Agrobacterium-infected plants is the basis for the rapid development of plant transgenic technology.

Breeding techniques mainly include natural domestication, artificial breeding, artificial mutation, hybrid breeding, molecular breeding, transgenic breeding and other methods. The process of technological development is a process of constantly improving breeding efficiency, and the similarity of * * * is to obtain excellent characters through genetic changes.

Compared with traditional breeding technology, transgenic technology has the following two advantages: first, traditional technology can only realize gene transfer on individuals within biological species, and transgenic technology is not limited by the genetic relationship between organisms, which can break the barriers of natural hybridization between different species and broaden the sources of available genes; Second, the traditional technology is generally carried out at the individual level, and the object of operation is the whole genome, so it is impossible to accurately operate and select a certain gene, and the breeding cycle is long and the workload is heavy, while the transgenic technology has clear objectives, stronger controllability and predictable performance of future generations.

Transgenic technology is the core of modern biotechnology. Using transgenic technology to cultivate new varieties with high yield, high quality, multi-resistance and high efficiency can reduce the input of pesticides and fertilizers, and play an important role in alleviating resource constraints, protecting the ecological environment, improving product quality and expanding agricultural functions. At present, many countries in the world regard transgenic biotechnology as a strategic choice to support development and lead the future. Transgenic technology has become the strategic focus of countries to seize the commanding heights of science and technology and enhance the international competitiveness of agriculture.

Author: Chen Junshi