Πίνακας περιεχομένων:

Αποθηκεύτηκε σε:

Λεπτομέρειες βιβλιογραφικής εγγραφής
Κύριος συγγραφέας:	Adhya, Dr. Sanghamitra
Μορφή:	Recurso digital
Γλώσσα:
Έκδοση:	Zenodo 2019
Θέματα:	Plants/genetics Food/toxicity Health Status Product evaluation
Διαθέσιμο Online:	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20290909
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Πίνακας περιεχομένων:

This paper reviews the environmental effects of genetically modified (GM) plants, synthesising evidence from ecological, agronomic and regulatory studies to provide a balanced assessment of benefits, risks and knowledge gaps. It focuses on major commercial traits—herbicide tolerance and insect resistance (Bt)—and emerging traits such as stress tolerance and nutritional enhancement, asking how GM plants affect biodiversity, non‑target organisms, soil and water systems, pesticide use and land‑use dynamics at different spatial and temporal scales. By analysing global literature alongside recent national assessments, the paper aims to inform ongoing debates over GM crop deployment and environmental regulation, including in countries such as India where GM cultivation remains limited and contested. The review adopts a structured framework based on established environmental risk‑assessment guidelines for GM plants, considering direct and indirect, on‑site and off‑site impacts. It synthesises findings from field experiments, landscape‑scale observational studies and meta‑analyses on: (i) changes in pesticide use and associated ecological effects; (ii) impacts on non‑target organisms (invertebrates, pollinators, birds); (iii) gene flow, weediness and resistance evolution; and (iv) effects on soil biota and biogeochemical processes. Special attention is given to herbicide‑tolerant and Bt crops, for which environmental evidence is most extensive, while also noting that future gene‑edited or multi‑trait crops may have different impact profiles. The findings paint a nuanced picture. In many contexts, adoption of Bt crops has reduced the use of broad‑spectrum insecticides and the associated acute toxicity to non‑target organisms and farm workers, contributing to more targeted pest control and, in some cases, increased beneficial insect abundance. Herbicide‑tolerant crops have facilitated conservation tillage and reduced mechanical weed control, lowering fuel use and soil erosion but often increasing reliance on a narrow set of herbicides such as glyphosate. At landscape scales, widespread use of herbicide‑tolerant cropping systems has been associated with shifts in weed communities, emergence of herbicide‑resistant “superweeds,” and reductions in non‑crop plant diversity, with downstream consequences for pollinator habitat and food webs. Similarly, resistance evolution in target insect pests undermines the long‑term benefits of Bt crops and can lead to renewed or increased pesticide use. Regarding soil and rhizosphere effects, current evidence suggests that approved GM crops have not produced large, systematic disruptions of soil microbial processes relative to conventional counterparts under typical agronomic conditions, although long‑term and context‑specific impacts on nutrient cycling and soil biodiversity remain under‑studied. Gene flow from GM crops to wild relatives or non‑GM crops is well documented in some systems and raises ecological, agronomic and socio‑economic concerns, especially where wild relatives are common or organic and identity‑preserved production is important. The paper also notes that environmental impacts are strongly mediated by farming systems, regulatory stewardship and scale of adoption; the same GM trait can have different outcomes in smallholder versus industrial contexts or under different integrated pest‑management regimes. The paper concludes that GM plants are neither inherently environmentally benign nor uniformly harmful. Instead, their environmental effects depend on the specific trait, crop, landscape, management practices and regulatory safeguards. While there is evidence of positive impacts—such as reduced insecticide use and support for conservation tillage—there are also documented risks related to resistance evolution, weed shifts, non‑target effects and biodiversity loss in simplified agro‑ecosystems, particularly where herbicide‑tolerant systems dominate. The paper calls for trait‑ and context‑specific risk assessment, stronger resistance‑management and biodiversity‑conservation measures, and more long‑term, landscape‑level studies, especially in biodiversity‑rich and smallholder farming regions considering GM adoption.

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