Why is Biotechnology Important in Agriculture?

Introduction: biotechnology in agriculture:

Biotechnology is the use of living systems and organisms to develop or make useful products. Biotechnology includes the use of microorganisms such as yeast, bacteria, and algae to make food and fuel; the use of plant cells to create vaccines; and the use of animal cells to create medicines.

It also includes the development of new technologies such as gene editing. You might be wondering, Why is Biotechnology Important in Agriculture? Biotechnology is used to improve crop production and pest resistance, and to develop new plant varieties.

Biotechnology has been used in agriculture for centuries, with early examples including the selective breeding of plants and animals to produce desired traits.

Modern biotechnology tools allow for more precise manipulation of genes and other plant characteristics, which can result in crops that are more resistant to pests and diseases, or that require less water or fertilizer. Biotechnology can be a powerful tool for improving agricultural productivity and sustainability.

Benefits of biotechnology in agriculture:

Everything has its own benefits, uses and risks of that use. Same way there are many concerns regarding biotechnology in the field of agriculture. Biotechnology has been used since 1970 under the name of genetic engineering.

There are many benefits of biotechnology in agriculture where different new innovative methods are useful for the farmers. Below there are different beneficial aspects of biotechnology.

Crop yield:

The application of biotechnology in agriculture has been ongoing since the early days of civilization, when farmers first began domesticating plants and animals.

There are two major objectives involved in agriculture and one of them is to gain maximum yield.  The use of biotechnology to improve crop yield has a long history, dating back to the early days of agriculture.

To gain maximum yield, wanted genes are extracted from the plants or the animals. These genes are then inserted into the wanted plant or animal. This insertion can be done by either living organisms or manually such as gene guns.

You can also learn in depth about, “How Crops Are Genetically modified”

For example, to create resistance against the papaya ringspot the resistant gene was taken from the virus and a new variety has been created which has been effective against the papaya ringspot. This not only controlled disease but also increased the yield.

There are many advantages to using biotechnology to improve crop yield. Biotechnology can help farmers to produce crops that are resistant to pests and diseases, which can result in higher yields.

Additionally, biotechnology can help farmers to produce crops that require less water and fertilizer, which can also lead to higher yields.

In addition to these benefits, biotechnology can also help farmers to reduce the amount of time and labor required to grow crops, which can further increase yields.

Pest and disease resistance:

In recent years scientists have been working on of the main advantages of biotechnology to create pest and disease resistance crop varieties.

This can be done by modifying the genes of crops so that they are better able to resist pests and diseases. This can lead to increased crop yields and improved quality.

There have been great improvements in this regard, if we look at the Bt cotton where the addition of gene Cry1Ac protein. By 2012, the planting area for Bt cotton had reached 18.8 million hectares, which accounted for 62.7% of the total cotton planting area in the world.

This gene has been extracted from the Bacillus thuringiensis. This protein affects in the form of crystallization in the midgut of the pest and then ruptures the midgut by killing the pest completely. The best part is that this protein only affects the pest and is harmless for human beings and animals.

Creating pest and disease resistant varieties by using biotechnology have another beneficial effect on agriculture; it reduces the dependence on fertilizers, pesticides and other chemicals.

Transgenic crops have more potential to control insect pests and disease as compared to pesticides. This method is more economical as well which shows if the right measures are taken biotechnology can be game changing in agriculture.

Benefits for developing countries:

In many agricultural countries, biotechnology is being used to increase crop production and improve the quality of crops. There are many advantages to using biotechnology in agriculture.

Biotechnology can help farmers to produce more food with fewer inputs, such as water and fertilizer. It can also help to improve the quality of crops by making them more resistant to diseases and pests.

Biotechnology can also be used to create new varieties of crops that are better able to withstand environmental stresses, such as drought or flooding.

This can help to reduce the need for chemical pesticides and herbicides, which can be harmful to the environment.

In addition, biotechnology can help to increase the nutritional value of crops, by increasing the levels of vitamins and minerals.

Improved food products:

The application of biotechnology to agriculture has led to the production of improved food products. Due to biotechnology food products have gone through certain changes which have improved texture, taste and quality.

If we look at some mind-blowing examples like, watermelon without seeds, fruits with good taste and sweetness have been brought to everyone in the market. This shows that there is more room where improvements can be made.

Improved nutrition:

In many developing countries, children are malnourished and lack essential nutrients for proper growth and development. Biotechnology can play a role in improving the nutrient content of food crops to help address this problem.

In addition, biotechnology can also be used to improve the nutrient content of food crops. For instance, by manipulating the genes of plants, it is possible to increase the levels of important vitamins and minerals in them.

This can help to improve the nutritional value of the food crops grown in developing countries, and ultimately help to improve the health of children living in these areas.

Production of vaccines:

Vaccines are one of the most important tools in the fight against disease. They work by protecting people from harmful agents, such as viruses or bacteria. Vaccines can be made using different technologies, including biotechnology.

Biotechnology is a process that uses living organisms to create products or services. It can be used to make vaccines that are more effective at protecting against diseases.

For example, biotechnology can be used to create vaccines that are specific to a certain disease. This means that the vaccine will be more effective at protecting against that disease.

Vaccines play an important role in protecting people from diseases. They can also help to protect animals from diseases.

This is because some diseases can spread from animals to humans. Vaccines that are made using biotechnology can help to prevent these diseases from spreading.

Environmental benefits:

Biotechnology can be used to clean up pollution, such as oil spills and hazardous waste sites. It can also be used to develop new products and processes that are more environmentally friendly.

For example, biotechnology is being used to develop biofuels that have a lower impact on the environment than traditional fossil fuels.

The benefits of biotechnology are just beginning to be realized. As the field continues to grow, there will likely be even more ways in which it can be used to protect and improve the environment.

Risks of biotechnology:

Biotechnology has improved agriculture but its modern applications have raised concerns about the potential risks to human health and the environment.

One of the main risks associated with biotechnology is the potential for environmental damage. For example, genetically modified crops may cross-breed with non-modified plants, leading to the spread of harmful genes and the loss of biodiversity.

Additionally, modified plants or animals could escape into the wild and establish themselves as invasive species, causing further damage to ecosystems.

Another risk is that biotechnology could be used to create “super pests” or “super weeds” that are resistant to herbicides or pesticides.

This could lead to increased use of these chemicals, which could harm human health and the environment.