genetically modified plants

- artificial selection: selects alleles for characteristics that are agriculturally valuable

- GM plants take months compared to the long process of plant breeding

- can use GM plants like maize/soya to mass produce medicines n chemicals cheaply n efficiently

- useful genes transferred into crop plants w vectors such as agrobacterium tumefaciens, gene guns(pellets coated w DNA) or w a virus

- marker gene is for antibiotic resistance, it kills plant cells that have not taken up the new desired gene

- micropropagation: GM plant cells cultured in agar w nutrients n plant growth substances = new plants

bacterium cell w chromosome and plasmid

remove plasmid and cut w restriction enzyme

cut foreign gene with restriction enzyme

insert foregin gene into plasmid DNA w marker gene

reinsert plasmid w foreign gene n marker into bacterium cell

foreign gene taken into by plant chromosomes to transform plant cell

plant cells on growth medium w antibiotic - only transformed cells selected

micropropagation: transformed cells grown in agar w amino acids, sucrose, inorganic ions and plant growth substances

shoot n root growth = transgenic plants (all cells contain new gene)