Source: Dunwell, J.M. 1999. Transgenic crops: the next generation, or an example of 2020 vision. Ann. Bot. 84: 269-277.

Many geneticists believe that transgenic crops will be important to future sustainability. Possible transgenic plant products that could be available in the next ten to twenty years are reviewed, rather than the plants themselves. The probable five fields that transgenic plants will benefit are (1) the environment, (2) industry, (3) the home, (4) food, and (5) medical and veterinary applications. One possible environmental use is bioremediation (the decontamination of polluted land). Industrial uses of transgenic crops include fuel, plastics, and terpenoids (essential oils used in medicine, flavoring, and perfume production). Households will probably use transgenic plants in the making of clothing, and their use as garden plants is superficially mentioned. In the area of food, fields where transgenics are expected to play a prominent role include protein composition, starch and oil, vitamins, micronutrients, removal of allergens and toxins, foods resistant to freezing, other additives, and beer. Medical and veterinary uses covered are vaccines and other antibodies and antigens, enzymes, growth factors, and other pharmaceutical compounds. This review provides an overview of the range of transgenic crop products that will probably be seen by the year 2020. Additional uses may yet appear, so some uses will be seen that are not covered in this review.

Abstract author: Regan Anderson, 12 October 1999.

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