Genetics and Propagation Module 9

Question 1

What does GMO stand for?

Answer 1

Genetically Modified Organisms

Question 2

What is Genetics?

Answer 2

the study of genes, genetic variation, and how traits are passed from parents to offspring

Question 3

What does the nucleus contain?

Answer 3

chromosomes that carry the genetic information from one generation to the next

Question 4

what is a chromosome?

Answer 4

a single long DNA molecule that contains many genes

Question 5

what is dna?

Answer 5

the basic biochemical compound that makes up genes

Question 6

what is a gene?

Answer 6

genetic material on a chromosome determining or affecting at least one characteristic; a basic unit of heredity

Question 7

What is a mutation?

Answer 7

A sudden and heritable change appearing in an individual as the result of a change of a gene or chromosome. May result in changes in plants characteristics

Question 8

What is a Genotype?

Answer 8

the genetic makeup or the sum total of genes of a plant that is transmitted from the parents to the offspring

Question 9

What is a phenotype?

Answer 9

the plants appearance, behaviour, and chemical and physical properties resulting from the interaction of genotype and environment
plant characteristics

Question 10

What is a trait?

Answer 10

a specific characteristic of a plant.

Question 11

What is plant breeding?

Answer 11

the application of genetics and statistics for the development and improvement of the plant crops with desired characteristics

Question 12

Traditional plant breeding

Answer 12

usually starts with a selection of parents with desirable traits, then crossing them to produce offspring
most offspring will be undesirable, but some may express the desirable traits of both parents

Question 13

Plant breeding objectives (5)

Answer 13

food - yield and nutritional value
feed - yield and nutritional value
fiber - high cellulose
pharmaceutical - produce a specific chemical
industrial uses - bio products, mass

Question 14

3 things with traditional plant breeding

Answer 14

novel or altered traits may be introduced from closely related species
“little control” over where and how genes are expressed
many genes transmitted, some of them are undesirable

Question 15

Biotechnology and an important tool in it

Answer 15

a collective term for a wide variety of scientific techniques that use living cells or components of cells to improve plants, animals, or microorganisms for the benefit of humanity
genetic engineering is a tool

Question 16

What can be accomplished through modern plant breeding in biotechnology?

Answer 16

novel genes may be introduced from any species
precise control over how or where a gene is expressed
only one single gene can be transmitted

Question 17

Two examples of biotechnology in plant development

Answer 17

1) Golden Rice - phytoene synthase from daffodil (Narcissus pseudonarcissus) and crtl (carotene desaturase) from the soil bacterium (Erwinia uredovora)
2) Bt corn - formed from a soil bacterium (Bacillus thuringiensis) to kill European corn borer, used as a spray for insecticide

Question 18

The 10 GMO crops

Answer 18

alfalfa
apple
canola
corn
cotton
papaya
potato
soy
sugar beets
summer squash and zucchini

Question 19

T or F
Is Bt bacterium deadly to humans?

Answer 19

False
Our guts don’t recognize it as a toxin