Concerns about the soil from genetic engineering

Forest and Bird, Issue 303, 1 February 2002, Page 37

Concerns about the soil from genetic engineering

Not enough is known about the effects of genetic engineering on the health of the animals and plants which live in the soil. Genetic modification of any organism can have a number of effects, such as: e An upset in the natural balance between the organisms. e Possible transfer of the genetically modified trait to other organisms, particularly given the prevalence of bacteria in the soil environment. e Further changes in agricultural practice may affect organisms other than the target ones; e.g. if more herbicide is applied to herbicide-resistant crops, then this could have food-chain consequences. e Should genetically modified traits be transferred to soil bacteria, then the ongoing fate of this trait would be difficult to predict. The possibility of the material being encapsulated in long-surviving cyst-forms would be an even greater problem. e Effects of toxins such as Bt in genetically modified plants, when they are released in the soil as the plant or animal decays. These toxins could be incorporated into the soil through leaf materials or through dead animals; they can bind to clay and humic acids in soil particles, while maintaining toxic activities.