INTRODUCTION

Biotechnology is being used to

develop low-cost
disease-free planting materials for
crops such as banana and potato
and is creating new tools for
the diagnosis and treatment of
plant and animal diseases and
for the measurement and
conservation of genetic
resources. Biotechnology is
being used to speed up breeding
programs
for plants, livestock and fish and
to extend the range of traits that
can be addressed
Biotechnology is being used to
develop low-cost
disease-free planting materials for
crops such as banana and potato
and is creating new tools for
the diagnosis and treatment of
plant and animal diseases and
for the measurement and
conservation of genetic
resources. Biotechnology is
being used to speed up breeding
programs
for plants, livestock and fish and
to extend the range of traits that
can be addressed
Biotechnology is being used to
develop low-cost
disease-free planting materials for
crops such as banana and potato
and is creating new tools for
the diagnosis and treatment of
plant and animal diseases and
for the measurement and
conservation of genetic
resources. Biotechnology is
being used to speed up breeding
programs
for plants, livestock and fish and
to extend the range of traits that
can be addressed
Biotechnology is being used to
address problems in all areas
of agricultural production and
processing. This includes plant
breeding to raise and stabilize
yields; to improve resistance to
pests, diseases and abiotic
stresses such as drought and cold;
and
to enhance the nutritional
content of foods. Biotechnology
is being used to develop low-
cost
disease-free planting materials for
crops such as banana and potato
and is creating new tools for
the diagnosis and treatment of
plant and animal diseases and
for the measurement and
conservation of genetic
resources. Biotechnology is
being used to speed up breeding
programs
for plants, livestock and fish and
to extend the range of traits that
can be addressed
Biotechnology is being used to address problems in all areas of
agricultural production and processing. This includes plant
breeding to raise and stabilize yields; to improve resistance
to pests, diseases and abiotic stresses such as drought and
cold; and to enhance the nutritional content of foods.
Biotechnology is being used to develop low-cost disease-
free planting materials for crops such as banana and potato
and is creating new tools for the diagnosis and treatment of
plant and animal diseases and for the measurement and
conservation of genetic resources.
Biotechnology is being used to speed up breeding programs
for plants, livestock and fish and to extend the range of traits
that can be addressed.
Biotechnology is being used to buildup low-cost disease-
free planting materials for crops such as, banana (Milu,
2008) and is creating new tools for the diagnosis and
treatment of plant and animal diseases (Tanaka et al., 2005).
Biotechnology is being used to speed up breeding programs
for plants, livestock and fish (Fu et al., 2005) and to extend
the range of traits that can be addressed. Animal feeds
(James, 2002) and feeding practices are being changed by
biotechnology to improve animal nutrition and to reduce
environmental waste. Biotechnology is used in disease
diagnostics and for the production of vaccines against animal
diseases (Tanaka et al., 2005), agricultural biotechnology is
potentially the most powerful and the most beneficial for the
poor.
disease-free planting materials
for crops such as banana and
potato and is creating new tools
for
the diagnosis and treatment
of plant and animal diseases
and for the measurement and
conservation of genetic
resources. Biotechnology is
being used to speed up
breeding programs
for plants, livestock and fish
and to extend the range of traits
that can be addressed
Agricultural biotechnology y is
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. Starting from the
ability to identify genes that
may confer
3
advantages on certain crops,
and the ability to work with
such characteristics very
precisely,
biotechnology enhances
breeders’ ability to make
improvements in crops and
livestock.
Biotechnology enables
improvements that are not
possible with traditional
crossing of related
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.

Starting from the ability to identify genes that may confer

3 advantages on certain crops, and the ability to work with
such characteristics very precisely, biotechnology enhances
breeders’ ability to make improvements in crops and
livestock.

Biotechnology enables improvements that are not possible

with traditional crossing of related. Generally, biotechnology
contributes to sustainable agriculture by reducing the
dependence on agro-chemicals, particularly pesticides,
through the deployment of genes conferring tolerance or
resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses; increased
productivity and quality; enhanced nitrogen fixation and
increased nutrient uptake and use efficiency; improved
technologies for generating biomass-derived energy;
generation of high nutrient levels in nutrient-deficient staple
crops
 Biotechnology and sustainable agriculture

The term biotechnology can thus include traditional and

local knowledge, organic and agro-ecological practices,
conventional breeding, the application of tissue culture and
genomic techniques, marker-assisted breeding and gene
splicing.

“Modern biotechnology” is defined as “the manipulation of

genetic material and fusion of cells beyond normal breeding
barriers,” with the most common example being genetic
engineering (GE) in which genes are inserted or deleted
through transgenic technologies to create genetically modified
(GM) organisms (GMOs) Genetic engineering is the most
important part of biotechnology that includes several
scientifically interrelated disciplines.

By definition, it is a group of methods that provide gene

transfer or its sequence and the more or less stabile
presence of such an entity in the host cell. Genetic
engineering methods are:
1. Recombinant DNA techniques that use vector systems;
 2. Techniques that directly introduce hereditary material into
an organism where the material was recombined outside that
organism and
3. Techniques of hybridization by means of which new living
cells are formed with a new combination of the hereditary
genetic material.

Bio-fertilizers:-
Phosphate and nitrogen are important for the growth of plants.
These compounds exist naturally in the environment but plants
have a limited ability to extract them.

Phosphate plays an important in crop stress tolerance,

maturity, quality and directly or indirectly, in nitrogen fixation.
A fungus, Penicillium bilaii helps to unlock phosphate from
the soil.

It makes an organic acid, which dissolves the phosphate in

the soil so that the roots can use it. Biofertilizer made from this
organism is applied by either coating seeds with the fungus as
inoculation, or putting it directly into the ground. Rhizobium is a
bacteria used to make biofertilizers.

This bacterium lives on the 4 plant's roots in cell collections

called nodules. The nodul are biological factories that can take
nitrogen out of the air and convert it into an organic form that
the plant can use. This fertilization method has been
designed by nature.
 With a large population of the friendly bacteria on its roots,
the legume can use naturally-occurring nitrogen instead of
the expensive traditional nitrogen fertilizer.

Bio-pesticides:-_

Microorganisms found in the

soil are all not so friendly to
plants. These pathogens can
cause
disease or damage the plant. As
scientists developed biological
“tools,” which use these disease-
causing microbes to control
weeds and pests naturally.
Microorganisms found in the soil are all not so friendly to
plants. These pathogens can cause disease or damage the
plant. As scientists developed biological “tools,” which use
these disease-causing microbes to control weeds and pests
naturally

Bio-insecticides :-
Biotechnology can also help in developing alternative controls to
synthetic insecticides to fight against insect pests.
Micro-organisms in the soil that will attack fungi, viruses or bacteria,
which cause root diseases. Formulas for coatings on the seed
(inoculants) which.

Genetically modified crops as animal

feed:
Genetically modified crops, products derived from them and
enzymes derived from genetically modified micro-organisms
are widely used in animal feeds.

Compound feeds are principally used for poultry, pigs and

dairy cows and are formulated from a range of raw materials,
including maize and other cereals and oilseeds such as
soybeans and canola (James, 2002).
 There was no evidence about adverse effects in the animal fed
the transgenic products for any of the . Pest and Herbicide
Resistant Cultivars:

The common soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) genes

have been inserted to build up a particular protein in cotton
crop.
This protein is toxic to certain insects such as pink bollworm
and cotton boll worm and is partially effective in controlling
tobacco bud worm and fall armyworm

As a result Bt varieties have superior yield performance

over a wide range of growing conditions

Genetically engineered Drought

Resistant crops:

The techniques for gene transformation of crop plants have

been applied for identification of gene responsible for
drought resistance and their transfer.
 Mainly two approaches, namely targeted and short gun
approach facilitate genetic engineering to obtain transgenic
plants conferring drought resistance.
Similarly, RAJ cultivar of wheat is developed for the rain fed
regions of Pakistan.
For this purpose wheat material from international and
local germplasm are screened by particular emphasis on
drought tolerance and disease resistant.
RAJ was evaluated for grain yield, diseases and drought
resistance and other agronomic traits. This variety produced
highest grain yield

Production of Biofuel by Agricultural

waste:
Biofuel is a great substitution of fossil fuel. Many
agricultural waste products are used for the production of
biofuel.
In India banana plant is used. As banana pseudo stem is
commonly available to be used as lignocellulosic substrate.
Banana pseudo stem is a source for bioethanol production.
Aspergillus ellipticus, Apergillus fumigates and
Saccharomyces cerevisiae are used in pretreatment
saccharification of cellulosic substrate.

Improvement in floriculture:

Floriculture is associated with flower cultivation industry,

biotechnology is playing key role in generation of new
varieties as improve in color, scent, size and flower long life
through gene manipulation technique.
Basically three pigment as flavonoids, carotenoids and
betalains are involved in flower color formation.
Variation in flower color through gene manipulation
technique concern with insertion of gene which modify
metabolic path of flavonoids, as this path concern with
colored anthocyanins and anthocyanidin 3-o-glucosides

.Various genes regulate other factor which are involve in final

color as anthocyanins and other pigment presence and
their structurally modification and vacuolar pH (Tanaka et
al., 2005). Novel Blue – Violet flower color carnation and
roses have been successfully. The color variation is
obtained due to modification of F3/H and F3/5/H genes

Diagnostics:-
the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique is especially
helpful in diagnosing plant diseases and is proving
increasingly so also for livestock and fish diseases.

TISSUE CULTURE:-
Plant tissue culture is a collection of techniques used to
maintain or grow plant cells, tissues or organs under sterile
conditions on a nutrient culture medium of known composition.
It is widely used to produce clones of a plant in a method
known as micropropagation. Different techniques in plant tissue
culture may offer certain advantages over traditional methods
of propagation.

Cells may be grown in a culture medium of biological origin

such as blood serum or tissue extract, in a chemically defined
synthetic medium, or in a mixture of the two.

A medium must contain proper proportions of the necessary

nutrients for the cells to be studied and must be appropriately
acid or alkaline. Cultures are usually grown either as single
layers of cells on a glass or plastic surface or as a suspension
in a liquid or semisolid medium.

To initiate a culture, a tiny sample of the tissue is dispersed on

or in the medium, and the flask, tube, or plate containing the
culture is then incubated, usually at a temperature close to that
of the tissue’s normal environment.

Sterile conditions are maintained to prevent contamination with

microorganisms.
DNA Markers used in Aqua
culture:

A variety of approaches have been taken to build up genetic

markers for aquaculture species. Dominantly-expressed
markers have been used

Fasiha F. Khan, Kaleem Ahmed, Aleem Ahmed and Shujjah

Haider 140 APPLICATIONS OF BIOTECHNOLOGY IN
AGRICULTURE- REVIEW ARTICLE widely in aquaculture
studies.

Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers

provide a cost-effective alternative for species where DNA
sequencing is not under way or when there are restricted
resources for QTL mapping Dominant AFLP markers are
preferred over random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD)
markers because they are more reproducible both in other
lines or populations and in other laboratories, and they can
generate hundreds of markers (a single polymerase chain
reaction commonly generates over ten markers

CONCLUSION:-
Agriculture biotechnology applications are helpful in
sustained food production. Biotechnology is a complement
not analternate for many areas of conventional agricultural
research.
It offers a variety of tools to improve our understanding
and management of genetic resources for food and agriculture.
As by reducing cost of production by reducing need of
pesticide spray and fertilizer, development of new varieties
that produce high yield and possess tolerance against abiotic
stress.

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