Abstract
This paper discusses genetic modification (GM) farming and analyzes the problems associated with the use of genetically modified food crops by a study of some recent scientific articles, which espouse this viewpoint. The paper contends that the rapid advancements in genomic science have created new possibilities in the fields of agriculture and in the treatment and management of diseases. The biotech revolution characterized by genetically engineered food products is regarded as a boon to the human society, a life-saving solution to manage the food crisis of our globe.

From the Paper
"Altering specific sequences of DNA allows plants to develop resistance to pesticides, resulting in increased yield. Using genetic engineering methods such as electroporation, gene gun, gene silencing and vector mediated transfer, scientists are now able to insert a new gene or control the expression of an already present gene in a plant. [UCS] In a special report from the 'New scientist' the author discusses some of the possibilities of applying genomic science into farming practices. Using these biotech processes scientists have created disease and herbicide resistant crops promising huge increase in productivity. The result of this biotech revolution was amazing. Vitamin boosted rice, Onions without tears, potatoes enriched with proteins, Soya built resistant to pesticides, and even caffeine free coffee became a reality and bio-engineered products offered endless possibilities."

Tags:biotechnology, genomics, electroporation

Abstract
Discusses the development of the citrus fruit as a crop. Origins and early historical function of oranges. Introduction to the New World. Growing popularity in America's citrus belt. Op[timal climate for growing sweet oranges. How growers combat frost. Effect of disease and economics.. Characteristics of oranges as a viable food crop.

From the Paper
"This paper is a discussion of oranges, their development as a fruit crop, and the effects of weather, climate, and other environmental forces on their growth. Although oranges are familiar fruits across the world, they are a relatively modern addition to international food choices, providing health benefits as well as culinary diversity. They can be grown widely but only within the "citrus belt," the latitudes that allow for the temperate climates and sufficient rainfall that the trees need to produce healthy, good-sized fruit.

Oranges are believed to have originated in the more tropical regions of China and the Malay Archipelago. Leon D. Batchelor and Walton S. Sinclair write, "Oranges and other citrus species have been cultivated from remote ages, and records of this early distribution from the original habitat to nearby countries are lost ..."

Abstract
The paper states that the issue of genetic modification of foods is a hotly debated issue The author believes that the greatest potential disadvantages of genetically modified foods are negative effects on human health and especially on the environment. On the other hand the author feels that genetically modified foods can increase the nutritional content and create disease resistance of specific crops.

From the Paper
"Genetically modified foods have the potential to have great advantages to society. By developing foods that are resistant to drought or pests, scientists may enable these foods to be grown in areas where they are not traditionally cultivated. This may have an especially significant effect on drought-stricken areas in the third world, where cultivation of commercial crops is difficult due to drought and pests."

Tags:human, health, environment, economic, nutrition, disease, resistance, africa, ecosystem

Abstract
This paper discusses how genetic engineering (GE) has made it possible to alleviate food shortages by inducing viral resistance in plants. Since the discovery and development of genetic engineering methods, many strategies for introducing viral resistance into crop plants have been researched and implemented, and several are described. The author explains how both pathogen-derived resistance (PDR) and non-PDR methods show great promise for the future; crop yields of many different plants throughout the world can potentially benefit from GE technology. Papaya and potato are only two of a large number of food-producing plants that have already been engineered successfully, and more successes will certainly follow in future years.

Outline:
Introduction
Background of Genetic Engineering in Plants
Pathogen-Derived Resistance
Non-Pathogen-Derived Resistance
Using Genetic Engineering to Confer Viral Resistance
Genetically Engineered Resistance Strategies
Conclusion

From the Paper
"Previous to the rise of genetic engineering, plant breeders had to rely on traditional methods of selecting for viral resistance in plants. This was a time-consuming and imprecise process; the development of transgene technology has allowed this to become a much more exact and effective science. While methods of introducing resistance into plants are advancing almost daily, there are a few solid methods that have been used consistently since their discovery, including coat-protein mediated resistance (CPMR), post-transcriptional gene silencing (PTGS), ribosomal inactivating proteins, and resistance (R) genes. These differing methods can confer different types of resistance (e.g. against broad or narrow ranges of viruses) and are often chosen depending on which type of virus is being targeted (Dasgupta et al. 2003)."

Tags:biosafety, gene pyramiding, heteroencapsidation transgenic insertion promoter avr genome

Abstract
This paper examines how rice is a grain cereal plant of the grass family and how in terms of total production it is the world's second leading food crop. In particular, it looks at how rice will continue to play a major role in feeding billions of people in the world especially in Asia and how the goals and ambitions of researchers today must be to develop rice cultivars and methods of cultivation which enhance the crop yield and are resistant to disease and adverse weather conditions.

Outline
Abstract
Biology of the Rice Plant
Regions of Rice Cultivation and Factors Affecting Yield
Preparation for Planting
Soil Type
Whole Farm Planning
Calendar of Events
Propagation of Rice
Recent Developments
Irrigation
Pests and Diseases
Harvesting
Post Harvest Issues
Processing
Environmental Effects of Rice Cultivation
Conclusion
References

From the Paper
"The rice plant is usually classified as the genus Oryza in the grass family (Graminae). The rice plant has a number of jointed stems, called culms, which measure between 38cm to 244cm. The culms are composed of hollow internodes that join at solid nodes and arise from the shallow fibrous root system. A few of the nodes become elongated as the plant matures. The upper internode supports the panicle, which is the head of the rice plant. The flat grass-like leaves of the rice plant have a basal sheath which surrounds the culm. The blade of the leaf is set at an angle to the sheath. The panicle can range from open to compact and from erect to droopy. In most varieties it is dense and droopy."

Tags:agriculture, asia, backcrossing, biology, china, crop, cultivars, drainage, environment, farm, harvesting, hybridisation, pollination, water

Abstract
The paper provides an overview of global warming and the damaging effects of greenhouse gases to people and other life on the planet. The paper discusses how high and extreme temperatures cause disease and harm agriculture and food supplies, changes in rainfall can affect crop yields and the melting of glaciers are causing the loss of land. The paper notes the importance of awareness of global warming but contends that much must be done in order to find the solution to the problem.

From the Paper
"Global warming has become a forefront issue among world leaders, politicians, scientists and researchers alike. With the technological advances that have been made in the way of meteorology and other environmental issues, our understanding of the full affects of pollution and greenhouse gases on the earth's o-zone have given way to massive concern. These concerns are not however, without controversial debate or firm opposition. In light of even further awareness of the human contributions to global warming, the drive for resolution has become an imperative directive among many countries. (NRC, 2001)"

Tags:pollution, greenhouse, gases, climate, temperatures, disease, crops, glaciers

Abstract
The paper discusses the Columbian Exchange, the term used to refer to the transfer of various elements between the New World and Europe. The paper discusses the positive elements like the exchange of foodstuffs and agricultural products and methods as well as the negative elements, such as the introduction of disease.

From the Paper
"Columbus and his men introduced diseases into the New World which killed thousands of Indians who were not immune to organisms that had long since ceased to have any adverse effects on the Europeans. This as well is blamed on Columbus, though clearly he could not have known that this would be the result of his visit, even if he had known that he was arriving in a completely New World and not in India as he first believed. Europe was affected by such devastating illnesses as leprosy, ergotism, scurvy, cholera, smallpox, measles, diphtheria, typhus, tuberculosis, and influenza. These diseases were deadly on a scale it is difficult to imagine. There were some diseases in the New World before Columbus, and people did die from them."

Tags:illness, agricultural, techniques, foodstuffs, crops

Abstract
The paper relates that pre-confederation British North America was a land of opportunity, but it was also a land of hardship and uncertainty. The paper explains that working hard was no guarantee of prosperity, for Canadian farmers and ranchers could be ruined by events beyond their control such as droughts, crop failures, and livestock disease, while factory workers in the Eastern cities had no job security and could find themselves homeless and starving if they were injured on the job and could not longer work.

From the Paper
"Pre-confederation British North America was a land of opportunity, but it was also a land of hardship and uncertainty. Working hard was no guarantee of prosperity, for Canadian farmers and ranchers could be ruined by events beyond their control such as droughts, crop failures, and livestock disease, while factory workers in the Eastern cities had no job security and could find themselves homeless and starving if they were injured on the job and could not longer work."

Tags:pre, confederation, canada, opportunity

Abstract
The paper addresses the economic, political and agricultural issues in Ireland at the time of the Irish Great Famine, including the rampant diseases and failure of the potato crop, the savage winter of 1846-1847, the uncontrollably expanding population and the ineffective administration of the Irish government by Britain. The paper then discusses how the famine caused the population to diminish, the disappearance of the agricultural laborer and the Irish language, Celtic, to disappear. The paper also relates that Irish communities established in the U.S. and Canada were filled with hatred against the landlords and the British government and, the famine led to many questions worldwide about Britain's administration of Irish affairs.

From the Paper
"From its earliest Celtic origins, the Irish peasantry had been caught up in impoverished serfdom. Regular famines throughout the 17th and 18th centuries added to the miseries of those already exploited and neglected by their landlords. (Downing, 1980, p.15)
"However, by the middle of the 18th century, the humble potato was introduced as a highly nutritious food and a good basis for an adequate diet. Because potato crops were proliferate and able to feed the average large Irish family, an increasing dependence on the potato in the bare subsistence economy of the west and southwest counties occurred. The poverty caused by the temporary employment of the peasants was consistent with these smallholdings and congested populations."

Tags:typhus, scurvy, potato, blight, starvation, emigration, landlords, Celtic

Abstract
This paper discusses the Great Irish Famine of 1845-1849 which stemmed from a then unknown fungus disease, phytophtora infestans, which ruined most of the Irish potato crops in 1845 and 1846. It looks at how British policy toward the relief of the misery and suffering caused by the potato blights was hamstrung by a rigid, narrow and basically inhuman economic doctrine which served the interests of the governing classes in Great Britain at the expense of the starving and diseased masses of Ireland afflicted as a result of the Famine.

Outline
Introduction and Summary Conclusions
Development of the Potato Monoculture and Obstacles to Reform
Peel's Response to the Famine, 1845-46
Failures of the Whigs after Mid-1846
British Society and Irish Relief
Upper and Middle Class Arrogance and Indifference
Overall Assessment
Conclusion

From the Paper
"The first potato blight which struck the harvest of 1845 caught political leaders and government officials by surprise because previous potato crop failures had been localized, and, according to Percival, "the potato crop had never failed for two years running" (42). Ireland had been relatively prosperous in the late 18th century. It benefited from the strong demand and high prices for agricultural products during the Napoleonic wars. However, according to Whelan, after 1815, "agricultural prices halved" and "the linen industry was dislocated by the advent of factory-spinning and weaving" (25). Almost all of Ireland other than Ulster remained agricultural. In 1801, Parliament at Westminster destroyed the last vestige of Irish autonomy by abolishing the Irish Parliament under the Act of Union. "

Tags:potato, whigs, peel, agricultural, products