New possibilities for generic modifications in sugar beet breeding

In the early 1990s, China became as the first country to grow a GM crop, a virus-resistant tobacco variety. In 1994, tomato variety Flavr-Savr became the first genetically modified food crop to be produced and Consumed in an industrialized country. The area planted to GM crops shot Lip from 1.7 million hectares in 1996 to 11 million in 1997 to 27.8 million in 1998 to 39.9 million in 1999 and to more than 44.2 million in 2000. Countries that grow transgenic crops include North and South America (USA, Canada, Argentina) and China. Sugar beets are being modified to contain traits such as herbicide-tolerance, virus-resistance, and fructan biosynthesis. Herbicide-tolerance sugar beet works similarly to other such crops. The GM sugar beets are most often tolerance to glufosinate and glyfosate. Sugar beets are genetically modified to contain the gene encoding for the viral-sheath protein of BNYVV causes rhizomania among sugar beets. Because sugar beets are bred to produce high amounts of sucrose, this makes them a logical choice for fructan production.