Agricultural biotechnology

Agricultural biotechnology is a collection of scientific techniques used to improve plants, animals and microorganisms. Based on an understanding of DNA, scientists have developed solutions to increase agricultural productivity.

It represents a broad range of technologies used in food and agriculture for the genetic improvement of plant varieties and animal populations, characterization and conservation of genetic resources, diagnosis of plant or animal diseases and other purposes.

Biotechnology has been used to refer to a set of tools that uses living organisms (or parts of organisms) to make or modify a product, improve plants, trees or animals, or develop microorganisms for specific uses. It has been used to refer to many biological processes that produce useful products, including some quite ancient ones such as fermentation in beer, wine and cheese.

But most frequently today the term is used to refer to knowledge about the natural processes of DNA replication, breakage, ligation, and repair that has made possible a deeper understanding of the mechanics of cell biology and the hereditary process.

Biotechnology can be applied to all genus of organisms from viruses and bacteria to plants and animals and it is becoming a major feature of modern medicine, agriculture and industry. Biotechnologists believe that the biotechnology is like a miracle and could help us to achieve sustainability in agriculture. Biotechnology improves production, saves time and money and causes reduction in chemical application.

Agricultural biotechnology plays a crucial role in economic growth sustainability and economic competitiveness, especially in developing countries. In addition, biotechnology has a specific position in enhancing food security so that could be used as an advantage in sustainable agriculture for small farmers in developing countries.

The biotechnology tools that are important for agricultural biotechnology include:
*Genetic engineering
*Tissue culture
* Somatic hybridization
*Conventional plant breeding
*Molecular breeding or marker assisted selection
*Molecular Diagnostic Tools
Agricultural biotechnology

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What is genetic engineering?

The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) defined genetic engineering as a process of inserting new genetic information into existing cells in order to modify a specific organism for the purpose of changing its characteristics. It is also known as Recombinant DNA technology, gene modification, and gene therapy.

Genetic engineering is a set of techniques that are used to achieve one or more of three goals: to reveal the complex processes of how genes are inherited and expressed, to provide better understanding and effective treatment for various diseases, (particularly genetic disorders) and to generate economic benefits which include improved plants and animals for agriculture, and efficient production of valuable biopharmaceuticals.

Genetic engineering can be utilized to improve the function of various metabolic and functional processes within an organism of interest. Genetic engineering of plants offers significant potential for seed, agrichemical, food processing, and specialty chemical and pharmaceutical industries to develop new products and manufacturing processes.

The production of vaccines and the application of methods for transferring genes for commercially important traits such as milk yield, butter fat and higher proportion of lean meat is likely to benefit animal husbandry. For example, the bovine growth hormone produced through genetic engineering has been used since late 1980’s to boost milk production by cow.

Introducing genes from various organisms into crops and livestock has long been regarded as a promising way to ensure the continued productivity of agriculture.

Genetic engineering is rapidly replacing traditional plant breeding programs and has become the mainstay of agricultural crop improvement. The technology allows transferring genes for nitrogen fixation; improving photosynthesis (and therefore yield); resistance to pests, pathogens and herbicides; and tolerance to frost, drought, increased salinity; and improved nutritional value and consumer acceptability.
What is genetic engineering?

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Wild rice (Zizania spp.)

Wild rice, technically not a rice and since the era of paddy production mostly not wild, is the only cereal native to North America with well documented food uses. Wild rice has been a successfully crop in California because production economics have been favorable; the crop adapts easily to basins that have been used for production in the Sacramento Valley.

Wild rice is a grass belonging to the family Gramineae, the genus Zizania, and the species aquatica (or palustris). One can easily distinguish Zizania aquatica from Oryza sativa or common white rice, the Asian staple.

There are four species of wild rice:
Northern wild rice (Zizania palustris)
Wild rice (Zizania aquatica)
Texas wild rice (Zizania texana)
Manchurian wild rice (Zizania latifolia)

This wild rice has come into modern American diet as a delicious, though expensive, substitute for true rice. Or as an additive to give true rice a special flavor and texture.

Wild rice is primarily wind pollinated, a process that ensures genetic diversity through outcrossing, In addition, the plant has some capacity for self pollination.

It is an annual plant that grows form seed. Seed germination is evident when the coleoptiles that covers the leaves breaks through outer layer of the seed.

The stem diameter of the wild rice plant varies from ¼ to ½ inch. Internodes are hollow and divided by thin, porous partitions that allow the diffusion of gasses up and down the stem. Up to 50 additional secondary (tillers) can originate from the basal nodes.
Wild rice (Zizania spp.)

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Introduction to agribusiness

The dynamics of the agribusiness world are extremely complicated. The United States’ agricultural industry goal is to provide a safe and reliable food supply for its citizens. The term agribusiness refers to those farms and firms directly involved with agricultural production.

This emphasis on production is what distinguishes agribusiness from other aspects of the food business.

Agribusiness also involves in distribution, and consumption of food, clothing and even shelter.

It includes all economic activity in the food and fiber system, which encompasses the input supply industries, agricultural production and post-harvest, value added activities such as commodity processing, food manufacturing and food distribution.

Agribusiness management is all about adoption and integration of technology in ways that improves people’s well-being.

This process is worthwhile because businesses earn their right to make a profit when their products provide their customers with value – satisfaction that exceeds cost.

Successful agribusiness people utilize all of the information available as they produce marketing plans that require the flexibility to change quickly with the global influences that impact markets on a daily basis.
Introduction to agribusiness

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Genetically modified foods

The use of green technology on food production is the cause of significant controversy that has been fuelled by the activities of various pressure groups and by the nature of some media reporting.

Plants and animals can be genetically modified in a variety of ways, each requiring some levels of human intervention.

Traditional methods include selection and cross breeding, while more contemporary techniques include embryo rescue, cell fusion, soma-clonal variation, mutation breeding, and cells election.

The genetically modified technology has been used to improve agricultural performance. The in-vitro manipulation of DNA is common to all applications of genetically modified technology. For each target material, ether is a need to use a specific technology for DNA delivery and to ensure its subsequent maintenance.

The possibility to alter the DNA of an organism is used to make plants adopt new traits, such increased agricultural productivity, increased resistance to disease and pests, or improved quality and nutritional and food processing characteristics, which can contribute directly to enhancing human health and development.

There are many concerns regarding genetically modified foods.  The true long term effects of genetically modified foods in human health and the environment are unknown.

However, all foods, including those from genetically modified plants, pose the same types of inherent risks to human health: they can cause allergic or toxic reactions or they can block the absorption of nutrients.

For consumers, health concerns include potential food allergies as well as gene transfer, whereby genes from GM food could, in theory be transferred into the human body.
Genetically modified foods

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Sweet corn in United States

Corn ranks third behind rice and wheat in total world production. Many types of corn are grown in the United States.

More area is planted to corn in the United States than any other commodity crop, and it has a greater market value.

Sweet corn, Zea mays L. var. saccharata, is a type of maize. Originating in Mexico, maize is one of the first plants to be domesticated, and remains one of the world’s most important crops.

Sweet corn likes a deep, rich loamy organic soil that’s well drained and rich in nutrients.

This corn has a large proportion of carbohydrates of the kernel as dextrin and sugar in the unripe kernels which are tender.

When matured and dried, the kernel are hard and have a wrinkled surface.

Sweet corn is a important cash crop for farmers. It currently ranks second in farm value among vegetables for processing and fourth for fresh market vegetables.

Sweet corn can be marketed as separate kernels (canned or frozen) or as ‘corn-on-cob’, a typical cob being 15 cm and 30 cm in length and still unsheathed in its green husk.
Sweet corn in United States

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What is agriculture?

The word agriculture comes from a Latin term ‘Agercultura’ which has its origin in the words ‘ager’ meaning filed and ‘cultura’ meaning to culture or cultivate.

Agriculture has been describe as the purpose raising of livestock and crops for human needs. The word ‘purposive’ thus excludes hunters and gatherers who have not domesticated the plants and animals they used for food.

The word agriculture can be defined as the ‘science or the art or the practice of large scale-soil cultivation’ in order to produce crops. In economics, the term agriculture as relating to every aspect of cultivation. 

Agriculture transformed the world. Agriculture production has modified the natural landscape more than any other human activity. The land dedicated to agricultural production continues to grow.

It is the component that made civilization possible. In an undeveloped country, in the initial stage of economic development, agriculture has an important contribution to the growth of industrial sector in a variety of ways including:
*Industries get raw material from agriculture sector
*Income of the people rises under the impact of agricultural development

What is agriculture?

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