Genetically Engineered Pesticides
Genetically Engineered Pesticides Genetically engineered pesticides have been created with the purpose of killing insects that destroy crops by the use of microbial pathogens. Plants have also been genetically engineered to produce toxic proteins themselves, without needing pesticides. An example of this is the baculovirus which, like other genetically engineered pesticides, gets a gene inserted into it (by the use of restriction enzymes that splice DNA and allow genes to be added to the sticky ends) that encodes for a toxin specific to the insects it is trying to eliminate which in this case are bollworms and budworms. ... Pesticides that are in use now generally kill most insects on contact which is less environmentally safe. One issue people have with genetically engineered pesticides is that it is possible for insects to develop a resistance to them over a period of time.