Is it really true that rDNA basically is not different from traditional breeding?
Genetic engineering can have super-potential to cause problems, relative to traditional breeding, because there can be biologically fundamental and significant differences. These biological differences have been discussed elsewhere in detail (Regal 1985, 1994). Briefly, the major differences between TB and GE, of functional biological significance, are the following. Phylogenetic Leapfrogging It is obvious that traditional breeding can only take place between related populations and species. The introduction of totally unusual and powerful adaptive features, that are completely new to pests, predators, and environmental challenges would be difficult under these circumstances. Many types of plants have long been in an evolutionary ‘arms race’ with particular taxa of pests and predators, for example. Newly evolved chemical defenses in a related species are apt to be incremental changes within a familiar genra of possibilities that the associated classes of diseases and insect predators h
