The advantages and disadvantages of Tilling as a technique in plant Essay

The advantages and disadvantages of Tilling as a technique in plant breeding - Essay Example It is a technology that used in molecular biology to directly identify mutations in genes. These technologies have their advantages that make them suitable for adoption and use by human life as well as disadvantages that make them a hazard to human life. This paper, therefore, seeks to establish the advantages and disadvantages of TILLING in plant breeding. TILLING is a molecular biology procedure that uses chemicals and x-rays to bring about undirected point mutations in a plant genome. This is usually the first step in the process. The second step involves an analysis of DNA which aids in the selection of plants that have a mutation that contains the desired gene (Schmidt et al 2011). The method combines a standard and an equally effective technique of mutagenesis with the use of a chemical mutagen such as Ethyl methanesulphonate (EMS) that contains a sensitive DNA screening method to which identifies point mutations in a target gene. This process of plant breeding may include mutation effects that may include gene deactivation and sub sequent reverse crossing with other varieties. This results with a plant that has the desirable mutation such as an amylase free potato. Some biotechnology critics such as Greenpeace have done ‘acceptance’ tests on TILLING method and have cited a large difference in genetic engineering. Some of the advantages of this biological process are; This means that the process can be applied on virtually every organism. This is because it entails modifying the molecular unit of heredity in a living organism. Therefore, plants can grow with a certain desired characteristic. This can be used to fight hunger by increasing food production. Another great advantage of TILLING in plant breeding is that the method its adaptability to high throughput genotyping. This is because it allows choosing appropriate technology for the intended goals and stage of an experiment. The method allows for the independence of the