Biotechnology, as the term suggests, combines biology and technology. It has proven to be very useful in agriculture and pharmaceuticals. Biotechnology applications in the field of agriculture implement modern techniques like genetic engineering, molecular markers, tissue culture, and recombinant DNA technology to improve the yield or quality of plant products. Also, its application makes plants resistant to infections and diseases. Biotechnology applications in the field of agriculture improve crop productivity and protect from infections and diseases. In the 1930s and 1960s, though food production increased three times during the Green Revolution, it remained insufficient to meet the needs of the growing population. Here, is when biotechnology applications in the field of agriculture completely changed the agricultural scene worldwide.
Biotechnology Basics
Karoly Ereky first termed biotechnology in 1919. Biotechnology is where different biological and technological processes improve the lives of organisms on planet earth. Biotechnology applications are relevant to pharmaceuticals and agriculture, research and development, laboratories, and other biotech-related interests. It proved to be a boon in agriculture, as it improved crop quality and yield.
Biotechnology Applications in the Field of Agriculture
Biotechnology applications in agriculture are implemented and executed through various processes as follows.
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Recombinant DNA technology or Genetic engineering:
Here, the genes targeted are modified in laboratories to change plant/crop genetic composition.
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Tissue culture:
This is a technique where a cell or plant tissue is allowed to grow in a lab under in-vitro conditions. This method or process is usually undertaken to grow genetically-modified plants under well-controlled conditions.
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Somatic hybridization:
Here, the desired plants are taken, and their protoplast is isolated and allowed to fuse to obtain a plant with a modified genome.
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Molecular markers:
This technique is used to identify the location of desired genes in a plant genome.
Significance of Biotechnology in Agriculture
- The use of biotechnology has increased the production of crops by making plants resistant to conditions like drought, flood, water stress, and other soil and climatic conditions.
- It has reduced the death of crops due to different diseases. In other words, it has improved the ability of crops to fight diseases.
- It has increased crops’ resistance to pathogens. Often, micro-organisms like bacteria viruses infect plants and destroy them. However, genetically-modified plants/crops, with the help of biotechnology, are less susceptible to pathogenic infections.
- Its use has increased the yield of crops manifold, which has helped overcome the world’s food shortage.
- Further, it improves the quality of the product by increasing the number of enzymes responsible for different metabolic processes in the crops.
- Moreover, it has developed crops in such a way that they can tolerate chemicals sprayed using herbicides to protect them from pathogens.
Example of Genetically-modified Plant
A classic example of a genetically-modified plant is Bt. Cotton. Here, Bt., is Bacillus thuringiensis. The thuringiensis microbe secretes a particular toxin that can destroy pathogens. The toxin is present in the microbe’s body in an inactive state and activates only at an alkaline pH.
Further, it creates pores on the surface of the pathogen’s cells. Because of the pores, the cells swell and burst to destroy the pathogen. Scientists further used this Bacillus thuringiensis feature to develop crops with the same genetically modified feature. It led to the discovery of Bt. Cotton. Here, the target genome of the microbe was fused with the genome of cotton to develop a modified, more resistant crop variety.
Conclusion
Biotechnology uses various techniques for the betterment of living organisms on the earth. Karoly Ereky first gave the name in 1919. Biotechnology applications are helpful in a wide variety of areas such as medicines, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, research and development areas in different laboratories, etc. Biotechnology applications in the field of agriculture use different processes like Recombinant DNA technology, tissue culture, molecular markers, somatic hybridization, and more. It helps develop crops with better resistance to diseases, pathogens, and infections. It increases crop production along with crop yields. The quality of crops and their products have also improved with the help of biotechnology. Crops have developed a capability to fight pathogens and survive in adverse conditions like floods, drought and other soil and climatic deterioration. With the help of biotechnology in the field of agriculture, crops have also developed mechanisms to tolerate harmful chemicals used in pesticides. With all these applications, biotechnology has improved the agricultural sector and nature. Additionally, biotechnology is a boon for the pharmaceuticals industry and laboratories worldwide.