It is perhaps this lack of natural boundaries for genetic exchange that seems so foreign to conventional scientific thought and that makes plant genetic engineering controversial. The thought of taking genes from animals, bacteria, viruses, or any other organism and putting them into plants, especially plants consumed for food, has raised a host of questions among concerned scientists and public alike. Negative public perception of genetically modified crops has affected the development and commercialization of many plant biotechnology products, especially food plants. While there are dozens of genetically engineered plants ready for field production, public pressure has delayed the release of some of these plants and has caused the withdrawal of others from the marketplace.
This public concern also appears to be driving increased government review of products and decreased government funding for plant biotechnology projects in Europe. Negative public perceptions do not seem to be as strong in Asia, since the pressures of feeding large populations tend to outweigh the perceived risks. The social climate of the United States toward biotechnology, although guarded, appears to be less apprehensive than that of most European countries. Therefore, many agricultural biotechnology projects have moved from European countries to U.S. laboratories.
See also: Genetic Engineering, Economic Goals, Regenerating Whole Transformed Plants, Selection of Transformed Plant Cells, Micropropagation
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