Final answer:
The main advantage of genetically modified crops is their improved resistance to pests and diseases, which includes traits like pest and herbicide resistance, leading to reduced pesticide use and decreased agricultural loss. Genetic engineering might also enable crops to tolerate harsh conditions, potentially improving food security, although advancements in nutritional enhancement and disease resistance are still evolving.
Step-by-step explanation:
The main advantage of genetically modified crops (GMOs) is improved resistance to pests and diseases. GMOs have been engineered to express traits such as pest resistance and herbicide resistance, which can lead to reduced pesticide use and a decrease in agricultural loss.
While there have been claims regarding advances in crop yields, nutritional quality, and disease resistance, the current most significant benefits of GMOs are the introduced traits that confer resistance to environmental stresses like pests and the use of certain herbicides. This can also result in reduced rates of injury from insecticides for farm workers.
Genetic engineering also offers the possibility of altering crops to tolerate harsh environmental conditions, such as drought and salty soil, which can potentially improve food security in challenging climates. Additionally, there is the potential to engineer crops to produce vaccines or increase their nutritional value, as seen with the development of golden rice.
Nevertheless, it should be noted that the promises of drastically improved nutritional capacity or resistance to plant diseases have been met with varied success and are still areas of ongoing research and development.