A farming cooperative is deciding whether to grow a genetically modified (GM) variety of potato. The GM potatoes contain a gene from a bacterium. The gene causes the potatoes to produce a protein that kills an insect pest.
Scientists grew the GM variety and a non-GM variety in equal-sized plots on the same farms for three years. They also carried out a six-month study in which adults ate potatoes from one of the varieties each day.
| Result | Non-GM variety | GM variety |
|---|---|---|
| Mean marketable yield in tonnes per hectare | 28.4 | 35.7 |
| Mean number of pesticide applications per growing season | 6 | 2 |
| Mean number of insect species recorded at the field margins | 18 | 13 |
| Adults reporting a health problem during the study, out of 300 | 6 | 7 |
Evaluate whether the farming cooperative should grow the GM variety of potato.
80 exam-style questions on AQA GCSE Biology 6.2 Variation and evolution, covering 6.2.1 Variation, 6.2.2 Evolution, 6.2.3 Selective breeding, 6.2.4 Genetic engineering, and 6.2.5 Cloning. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.