The rice plant, when submerged in water for 2 days, is no longer suitable for harvest. This causes serious damage in the agricultural industry, not only in those associated in rice plantations but also in other crops, such as corn. Knowing this, biotechnologists isolated SUB1, the gene responsible for enabling rice to become flood-resistant. It was found in an ancient variation of rice. The biotechnologists inserted this gene into the genome of rice, then tested it in the international rice research institute in the Philippines. Their findings were successful, as the grace period for rice submerged in water was extended from two days to more than 2 weeks.
Our product is called FTCorn, or the flood tolerant corn. Studies have shown that corn crops cannot survive if submerged in water for more than 2-4 days. Philippines, a major exporter of corn, is located at the west of the Pacific Ocean. Thus, typhoons are regularly experienced throughout the year. In line with this, flash floods occur occasionally. These events cause significant economic losses. To prevent this, we have designed a method to develop a more resilient variant of corn, the FTCorn.
The first part of the method is the isolation of the SUB1 gene. To extract it from the rice, the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction method should be used. Reverse transcription involves the formation of a single-strand complementary DNA from the target RNA using an enzyme called reverse transcriptase. Then, the sample is amplified using the polymerase chain reaction method.
The second step in our method is the insertion of the DNA into the corn. The agrobacterium-mediated transformation technique is used. It involves the use of agrobacteria to deliver genes into outside cells through its plasmid. Leaf discs of the corn plant is exposed to these agrobacteria, then the formed callus is used to grow the plant.
The last step involves the reproduction of the corn plants. The pollen from the original FTCorn is used to reproduce the plant. It is expected that the next generation would express the same flood-tolerant trait as the parent.
This genetically modified organism is an example of the capabilities and benefits of biotechnology. If FTCorn would be used extensively in agricultural lands, yield would be consistent and therefore the lives of farmers and corn consumers may be less affected by extreme weather conditions.

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