Cloning crop plants in tissue culture free essay sample

Tissue culture is the growth of tissues or cells separate from the organism. This is typically facilitated via use of a liquid, semi-solid, or solid growth medium, such as broth or agar. Tissue culture commonly refers to the culture of animal cells and tissues, with the more specific term plant tissue culture being used for plants. Tissue culture involves the use of small pieces of plant tissue (explants) which are cultured in a nutrient medium under sterile conditions. Using the appropriate growing conditions for each explant type, plants can be induced to rapidly produce new shoots, and, with the addition of suitable hormones new roots. These plantlets can also be divided, usually at the shoot stage, to produce large numbers of new plantlets. The new plants can then be placed in soil and grown in the normal manner. Social advantages and disadvantages ADVANTAGES To produce many copies of the same plants then which may be used to produce plants with better flowers, odors, fruits or any other properties of the plants that are beneficial to the human beings. To produce plants anytime we want although the climates are not appropriate to produce a plant. Moreover, if seed is not available, it is possible to produce a plant with this method. If there is plant with partially infected tissue, it is possible to produce a new plant without infection. Very helpful in the genetically modified organism studies. Very useful solution for the prevention of starvation in third world countries since the process id highly efficient, by using only one plant, it is possible to produce more than one thousand of the same plant with higher productive if its genome changed. DISADVANTAGES The procedure is very variable and it depends on the type of the species so sometimes it needs trial-and-error type of experiments if there is not any review about that species. The procedure needs special attention and diligently done observation. There may be error in the identity of the organisms after culture. Infection may continue thorough generations easily if possible precautions are not taken Decrease genetic variability. Economic advantages and disadvantages ADVANTAGES The equipments are cheaper when compared to the animal cell culture. More commerce for the country, meaning they can buy and sell goods on a larger scale. Higher income for the farmer, as they have more plants to sell and have been produced quickly so can sell multiple times during the year. Therefore they suffer less economic loss from failed crops as cloned plants do not rely on weather conditions. More tax revenue for the country as they receive more money from crop sales. DISADVANTAGES If large scale production is being thinking, the costs of the equipments are very expensive DISADVANTAGES It could mess around with natures course. Some people prefer organic food. Something could go wrong with the way that the plant grows. The plant may not live as long. The plant is not going to be as big and will be a minature version of the adult. It could effect the ecosystem in many different ways. ADVANTAGES More food can be harvested. Able to reproduce more crop plants with desirable traits. Higher income for the farmer. Less economic loss from failed crops. More tax revenue. It is expensive. Some people prefer organic food. Something could go wrong with the way that the plant grows. The plant may not live as long. The plant is not going to be as big and will be a minature version of the adult. It could effect the ecosystem in many different ways. Ethical issues Some people think that you shouldnt fool around with nature, and let it do things the natural way i.e letting the crops/plants grow naturally without using technology. Messing around to select future desirable traits in crops could affect the ecosystem in unforeseen ways (crops will be resistant to natural enemies and grow wild, deprive the critters that eat the crops of food, etc. ) Is it right to clone plants? Or is it taking technology too far? If we are cloning plants, could it mean eventually we will clone other living things such as humans ourselves? Cloning and transplanting cattle embryos Cloning and transplanting cattle embryos is where they take the genetic structure of one cows DNA and make the exact same cow. They take DNA from one cow and insert it into another cows embryo then that cow gives birth to a cow with the same genetic structure as the one they took the DNA from, creating a clone. Social advantages and disadvantages ADVANTAGES The advantages are more food for us, if you can use 1 cow, and make 100, then you have a lot more food and dairy product. More income for the farmers who breed and sell the cattle’s meat/milk because they get more cows out of cloning etc DISADVANTAGES The cloned population will all have the same genes, so the gene pool is very, very small. Populations with small gene pools are at risk of being wiped out. That is why conservationists are very keen on preventing populations from dropping below a certain number. If a disease comes along, and it afflicts one cow because of its genetic make-up, it will affect all the cows. If a farmer insists on cloning his cattle, then he must by all means, ensure that his cattle are kept free from any pathogenic (disease-causing) organisms. Economic advantages and disadvantages ADVANTAGES Farmers and shops benefit from more stock coming in and earning more money etc. Farmers can mass produce a certain type of cow that is more effective  for a specific cause e. g more succulent beef, or creamier milk. Cloning may not always be successful which can eventually waste money because of all the attempts Calves may be too big for the cow. Beef could become toxic if cloned incorrectly. Diseases could be passed on to humans from animals. Some embryos of cattle can grow so that they are not perfect e. g. to become deformed during development. The cloned population will all have the same genes, so the gene pool is very, very small. Populations with small gene pools are at risk of being wiped out. That is why conservationists are very keen on preventing populations from dropping below a certain number. If a disease comes along, and it afflicts one cow because of its genetic make-up, it will affect all the cows. You can have top-quality calves. Your top-quality cows can produce more offspring during each year. You can produce suculent beef and creamy milk from the clones. It can go wrong very easily. It is very expensive. It uses up alot of resources. Deformity may occur. Calves may be too big for the cow. Beef could become toxic if cloned incorrectly. Diseases could be passed on to humans from animals. Some embryos of cattle can grow so that they are not perfect e. g. to become deformed during development. The cloned population will all have the same genes, so the gene pool is very, very small. Populations with small gene pools are at risk of being wiped out. That is why conservationists are very keen on preventing populations from dropping below a certain number. If a disease comes along, and it afflicts one cow because of its genetic make-up, it will affect all the cows. Ethical issues. Some people do not believe that you should interfere with natures process and it is the human race taking technology too far. Through this we are also only thinking of ourselves as we are only cloning these innocent animals so we can make more money and have a better quality of food. We are not taking into thought how it affects the animals. Human Cloning Artificial production of a genetic replica of another human being. It is a form of asexual reproduction. One way in which cloning could take place is by somatic cell nuclear transfer. Here, the nucleus of an unfertilised ovum is removed and replaced with the nucleus of a somatic cell, or whole diploid body cell, from a developed embryo, foetus or adult individual. The ovum is then stimulated either chemically or by an electrical pulse to create a human embryo. Given that the nucleus contains almost all of a cell’s genetic material, the new embryo will be a delayed genetic twin/clone of the human individual from whom the cell was taken. In this whole process male sexuality plays no direct role . The cloned person does not have as long life expectency as the normal embryo (when grown) would have done. ADVANTAGES You can get the characteristics you want. You could have a child if you were infertile. You can have a child that will have the correct DNA for transplants. It helps to keep important or helpful genes going. We could be playing god. It is un-natural. It goes wrong alot. It is expensive. It uses alot of resources. Could disturb natures process. Ethical issues Is it fair to get rid of a perfectly healthy embryo and produce something that could have difficulties. They dont use all of the embryos and discard part of it. We make a decision for the animal and dont take the possibilities that something could go wrong into account. Risks of cloning I feel that there is some risks in cloning however it is possible to succesfully create a clone of another human beings once those risks have been exterminated or at the very least minimized. Once these risks have been sorted human cloning will then be made possible. However we feel that cloning should not be done to full humans as it is like playing the role of god and we should let nature take its course. We also feel that although the cloning of human body parts and tissue is a maijor step forward for science and medicine we should not create embryos to grow like normal embryos would and then kill them off. Human organ cloning Therapeutic cloning is the one scientists hope will be successful for organ cloning. This would be done by extracting DNA from the person receiving the transplant that DNA is inserted into an enucleated egg. After the egg (now with the donors DNA) begins to divide, the embryonic stem cells are harvested. These are the cells that can be developed in to any type of cell. Those cells can can then be grown into the complete organ or tissue for the donor and will be a full genetic match (in theory). This organ cloning would eliminate the need for anti-rejection drugs than can cause some many problems with donor recipients. Organ is genetically identical. Rejection will not happen as it will be the same. There is no use for the strong anti-rejection drugs used. Limbs could be replaced if lost. There would be no shortage of organs for transplanting. Increases life expectency. There is no time limit to get the organs to the patient. We do not have to harvest organs from dead people. Needs a supply of eggs from, most likely, the spares of IVF couples. It is very expensive to do.