Applications of Biotechnology in Agriculture

1. Biotechnology in Agriculture

Applications of Biotechnology in Agriculture include the development of transgenic crops - the placement
of genes into plants to give the crop a beneficial trait. Benefits include the improved yield from crops,
reduced vulnerability of crops to environmental stresses, increased nutritional qualities of food crops,
improved taste, texture, or appearance of food, reduced dependence on fertilizers, pesticides, and other
agrochemicals, and production of vaccines.cK-12.org (2019)

2. Genetically Modified Crops

Bt Corn was first genetically modified with the insertion of toxin gene from the bacterium
BACILLUS THURINGIENSIS. When the Bt Corn was commercialized, an increase in
production was realized because of its resistance to the attack of the corn borer.

Comparison of regular corn and Bt corn

BT Cotton, half of the cotton grown in the world has been genetically modified to resist
pests and pesticides. GMO cotton was created to be resistant to BOLL WORMS. GMO cotton
not only provides a reliable source of cotton for the textile industry, but it is also used to
make COTTONSEED OIL, which is used in packaged foods and many restaurants for frying.
GMO cottonseed meal and hulls are also used in food for animals.
BT Cotton

Figure 2

Some GM potatoes were developed to resist insect pests and disease. In addition, some GM
potato varieties have been developed to resist bruising and browning that can occur when
potatoes are packaged, stored, and transported, or even cut in the kitchen. While browning
does not change the quality of the potato, it often leads to food being unnecessarily thrown
away because people mistakenly believe browned food is spoiled.

GM Potato 

Figure 3

Golden rice is the genetically modified rice containing beta carotene, a precursor of vitamin
A. Golden rice was genetically modified to produce almost 20 times the beta-carotene of
previous varieties. Golden rice was created by modifying the rice genome to include a gene
from the DAFFODIL NARCISSUS PSEUDONARCISSUS that produces an enzyme known as
phytoene synthase and a gene from the bacterium ERWINIAUREDOVORA that produces an
enzyme called phyotenedesaturase.

The introduction of these genes enabled beta-carotene, which is converted to vitamin A in

the human liver, to accumulate in the rice endosperm—the edible part of the rice plant—
thereby increasing the amount of beta-carotene available for vitamin A synthesis in the
body.

Comparison of Golden Rice with regular rice

Figure 4

Sugar Beets were engineered to grow faster and to be more resistant to weeds.
GM Sugar Beets

Figure 5

GM canola is used mostly to make cooking oil and margarine. Canola seed meal can also be
used in food for animals. Canola oil is used in many packaged foods to improve food
consistency. Most GM canola is resistant to herbicides and helps farmers to more easily
control weeds in their fields.
GM Canola

Figure 6

GM alfalfa is primarily used to feed cattle—mostly dairy cows. Most GM alfalfa are resistant
to herbicides, allowing farmers to spray the crops to protect them against destructive weeds
that can reduce alfalfa production and lower the nutritional quality of the hay.

GM Alfalfa

Figure 7

GM papaya lines were developed to resist infection by the papaya ring spot virus.
GM Papaya

Figure 8

The first GM eggplant (Bt eggplant) was pest-resistant eggplant.

Comparison of Bt eggplant with the regular eggplant

Figure 9

GM peas were created by inserting kidney beans genes into the peas DNA resulting in the
production of a protein with pesticidal ability.
GM Peas

Figure 10

FlavrSavr is the first commercially grown GM tomato granted with a license for human
consumption. FlavrSavr tomato was designed to withstand the rigors of shipping, one that
would last for weeks while regular tomatoes shriveled and rot. FlavrSavr tomatoes would
not only stave off rotting but also prevent softening of the tomatoes during ripening,
allowing them to be transported hundreds of miles without bruising while retaining their
vine-ripe taste. Diaz (2020)

Flavr Savr Tomatoes

Figure 11
GM crops are made through a process known as genetic engineering. Genes of commercial
interest are transferred from one organism to another. There are two primary methods
currently exist for introducing transgenes into plant genomes. The first involves a device
called a ‘gene gun’. The DNA to be introduced into the plant cells is coated into tiny
particles of gold or tungsten. These particles are then physically shot onto plant cells and
incorporated into the genomic DNA of the recipient plant. Isaaa.org (2020)

3. Pros and Cons of GM Crops

What are the potential benefits of GM Crops?

Genetically modified crops or GM crops are used in the following ways: 

1. They are more tolerant to stresses such as drought, cold, and heat.

 2. They are pest resistant and therefore less dependent on chemical pesticides.

3. Genetically Modified crops help to reduce post-harvest losses.

4. They help to increase the mineral usage by plants, thereby preventing early exhaustion of
soil fertility.

5. Genetically modified crops have enhanced nutritional value. Example – Vitamin A

enriched rice. 

Isaaa.org (2020)

What are the potential risks of GM Crops?

With every technology, there are potential risks. The potential risks of GM crops include: 

1. The danger of unintentionally introducing allergens and other antinutritional factors in

foods. 

2. The likelihood of transgenes escaping from cultivated crops into wild relatives. 

3. The potential for pests to evolve resistance to the toxins produced by GM crops. 

4. The risk of these toxins affecting non-target organisms.

Isaaa.org (2020)

Applications of Biotechnology in Industry & Environment

1. Industrial/White Biotechnology

Let’s talk about Industrial or white biotechnology that uses microorganisms and enzymes to produce

goods for industry, including chemicals, plastics, food, agricultural and pharmaceutical products, and
energy carriers. Renewable raw materials and an increasing waste from agriculture and forestry are used
for the manufacture of industrial goods. Countless metabolic processes take place in a single cell. These
processes break down and convert nutrients that have been taken up into new products. Enzymes are
involved in controlling and coordinating reactions that happen simultaneously or consecutively. Humans
have been making use of microbial and enzymatic processes for a long time. Some examples include
the production of bread, yoghurt, and vinegar using microorganisms and the use of enzymes in
detergents. Microorganisms and enzymes can be used for the production of food supplements such as
vitamin B2, biobased plastics such as polylactic acid, and energy carriers such as biogas and bioethanol
(Dossier Dec.09, 2013 BIOPRO
Baden-Württemberg GmbH).

2. Biotechnology in the Environment

Now let’s learn about Biotechnology in Environment. It is the application of processes for
the protection and restoration of the quality of the environment, it can be used to detect,
prevent and remediate the emission of pollutants into the environment in a number of
ways. Solid, liquid, and gaseous wastes can be modified, either by recycling to make new
products or by purifying so that the end product is less harmful to the environment.
Replacing chemical materials and processes with biological technologies can reduce
environmental damage (Kallyani Godani).

According to an Aftermath specialist in Trauma Cleaning and Biohazard Removal

Environmental, pollutants continue to be a major global concern. However, thanks to the
evolution of bioremediation technology, we are able to diminish some of the damaging
effects that these pollutants have had on our environment.

Bioremediation is the process of using biological organisms to break down hazardous

substances into less toxic or nontoxic substances. According to Cornell University,
“Bioremediation provides a technique for cleaning up pollution by enhancing the same
biodegradation processes that occur in nature.” Although
bioremediation happens naturally over time, scientists have developed ways to speed up
the process through bioremediation technology.
There are 3 ways of Bioremediation:

1. Crime scene cleanup - bioremediation in this sense involves the cleanup of blood and
bodily fluids that can pose health risks such as hepatitis, HIV, and MRSA. Rather than using
standard cleaning agents like bleach or ammonia, crime scene cleaners use enzyme cleaners
to rid the scene of harmful substances.

2. The cleanup of contaminated soil - Human activity has introduced many toxic

substances into the environment’s soil and groundwater. During bioremediation, microbes
utilize chemical contaminants in the soil as an energy source and, through oxidation-
reduction reactions, metabolize the target contaminant into useable energy for microbes.

3. Oil spill cleanup – there are instances in our country that oil spill happens like in the
Guimaras oil spill occurred in the Panay Gulf on August 11, 2006, when the oil tanker MT
Solar 1 sank off the coast of Guimaras and Negros islands in the Philippines, causing what
is considered as the worst oil spill in the country. Due to the effectiveness and lower cost of
bioremediation, two methods were used to clean up an oil spill.

• Bioaugmentation which is the injection of a small number of oil-degrading microbes into

an affected area.

• Biostimulation which is the addition of nutrients to stimulate the growth of innate oil-

degrading microbes to increase the rate of remediation.

In-situ and Ex-situ tell us something about where the bioremediation is taking place. In-

situ really just means in place or on-site (keeping something in its natural place), and ex-situ
just means out of place or off-site (removing something from its natural place). In-situ
bioremediation means that you allow bioremediation to take place while leaving the soil or
water in its natural location. The steps of in situ bioremediation are site investigation,
treatability studies, recovery of free product and removal of the contamination source,
design and implementation of the in-situ bioremediation system, and lastly monitoring and
performance evaluation of the in-situ bioremediation system. And, Ex-situ bioremediation
means you would scoop up the contaminated soil or pump up the contaminated water and
take it somewhere else for bioremediation (Hartsock, 2016).
The term “biosensor” is short for “biological sensor.” The device is made up of
a transducer and a biological element that may be an enzyme, an antibody or a nucleic acid.
The bioelement interacts with the analyte being tested and the biological response is
converted into an electrical signal by the transducer. Depending on their particular
application, biosensors are also known as immunosensors, obtrudes, resonant mirrors,
chemical canaries, biochips, glucometers, and biocomputers. It is then possible to make
quantitative measurements of pollutants with extreme precision or to very high sensitivities.
The biological response of the biosensor is determined by the biocatalytic membrane, which
accomplishes the conversion of reactant to product.