5.15 - Genetically modified Plants

1. Maize is damaged by the larvae of the European cork borer which can lead up to a 20% loss of crop yield.
2. The bacteria BT has a chromosome which has a gene that can produce "bt toxin" which can kill the cork borer larvae.
3. The first step is to take restriction enzymes to the gene of BT and chop the gene out so that you have the BT gene for the toxin.
4. Then it has to be transferred to the cells of the maize plant. This isn't easy but the technique involved nowadays is a gene gun. 
5. The gene gun takes tiny particles of gold coated with the BT gene and fired at high velocity at the plant cell. This introduces the BT gene to the interior of the plant cell. Therefore the maize cells have the BT gene.
6. When the genes are switched on they will emit the toxin  that can kill the larvae. This gives maize resistance to the damage caused by cork borers