biology

Genetically modified sugarcane

Genetically modified sugarcane is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Genetically modified sugarcane rather than just read about it. In short: A genetically modified sugarcane (GM sugarcane) is a sugarcane whose genetic material has been altered through genetic engineering techniques, conferring desirable traits such as insect resistance and tolerance to drought and herbicides. Brazil became the first country to approve the commercial cultivation of genetically modified sugarcane in 2017; the cane received genes that provide resistance to the sugarcane bor…

Key takeaways

Genetically modified sugarcane belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Genetically modified sugarcane to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Genetically modified sugarcane from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

A genetically modified sugarcane (GM sugarcane) is a sugarcane whose genetic material has been altered through genetic engineering techniques, conferring desirable traits such as insect resistance and tolerance to drought and herbicides. Brazil became the first country to approve the commercial cultivation of genetically modified sugarcane in 2017; the cane received genes that provide resistance to the sugarcane borer. In the 2022/23 harvest, the area cultivated with GM sugarcane in Brazil nearly doubled, reaching 70,000 hectares. Still, this number represents only a small fraction of the country's total sugarcane fields, which occupy approximately 8.3 million hectares. This technology has benefited farmers by providing greater profitability, yield, and reduced pesticide use. There is a scientific consensus that currently available food derived from GM crops poses no greater risk to human health than conventional food, but that each GM food needs to be tested on a case-by-case basis before introduction. Nonetheless, members of the public are much less likely than scientists to perceive GM foods as safe. The legal and regulatory status of GM foods varies by country, with some nations banning or restricting them, and others permitting them with widely differing degrees of regulation. Some countries import refined sugar derived from these genetically modified crops; the refined product is considered indistinguishable from conventional sugar.

Examples of transgenic sugarcane

Bt Sugarcane Brazil was the first country to approve, in 2017, the commercialization of a genetically modified sugarcane, developed by the Centro de Tecnologia Canavieira (Sugarcane Technology Center) (CTC), registered as CTC20Bt. This variety received the cry1Ab gene, responsible for producing the toxin from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt)— already used in other genetically modified crops, such as soybean and maize/corn — conferring resistance to insects, especially the sugarcane borer. GM sugarcane varieties approved in Brazil include: CTC20Bt, CTC9001Bt, CTC9003Bt, CTC7515Bt, CTC579Bt, and CTC9005Bt. Although all these Bt varieties share the trait of resistance to the sugarcane borer, differences in productivity, harvest cycle, and adaptation to specific soil types allow producers to choose the best variety for their farms.

BtRR Sugarcane BtRR sugarcane is a variety of sugarcane that combines two genetically modified traits: resistance to the sugarcane borer and tolerance to the herbicide glyphosate. The technology was developed in partnership between Embrapa and the startup PangeiaBiotech. The cane expresses a version of the enzyme 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS), associated with the synthesis of the essential amino acids phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan, from the CP4 strain of the bacterium Agrobacterium tumefaciens, which is not inhibited by glyphosate, combined with a gene that produces two different Cry insecticidal proteins from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis. This variety has not yet received approval for commercial cultivation from Brazilian National Technical Biosafety Commission (CTNBio), although it has been authorized for field testing.

NXI Sugarcane

Indonesia approved a genetically modified sugarcane, known as NXI-4T, for food and cultivation, developed for drought resistance. This sugarcane was developed by PT Riset Perkebunan Nusantara (Nusantara Plantation Research) in cooperation with Jember University. The plant was modified using Agrobacterium tumefaciens and the plasmid pMHL2113. Agrobacterium transferred the betA gene from the bacterium Rhizobium meliloti, which is associated with the production of betaine, a substance that helps plants protect themselves from water stress.

CABB Sugarcane In June 2024, Pakistan approved two genetically modified sugarcane varieties for commercial cultivation: one insect-resistant (CABB-IRS) and the other herbicide-tolerant (CABB-HTS). These varieties were developed by Professor Muhammad Sarwar Khan, Rector of Faisalabad University of Agriculture, and his team at the Center for Agricultural Biochemistry and Biotechnology. This is the first GM crop authorized for large-scale cultivation for food purposes in the country.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Genetically modified sugarcane

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Genetically modified sugarcane claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Genetically modified sugarcane before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Genetically modified sugarcane ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Genetically modified sugarcane

In research: Genetically modified sugarcane appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Genetically modified sugarcane in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Genetically modified sugarcane is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Genetically modified organisms in agriculture, Saccharum, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Genetically modified sugarcane outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Genetically modified sugarcane in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Genetically modified sugarcane means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Genetically modified sugarcane out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Genetically modified sugarcane in simple terms?

Why does Genetically modified sugarcane matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Genetically modified sugarcane?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Genetically modified sugarcane.