- •Biotechnology- Significance in food production
- •4. Foods containing ingredients processed by enzymes produced through gmMs, e.G. High-fructose corn syrup produced from starch, using the enzyme glucose isomerase (product of a gmm).
- •Agricultural Biotechnology - the buzzword
- •Gm Seeds
- •Green Biotechnology
- •Bio fertilizers and bio pesticides:
- •White Biotechnology
- •Impact of Biotechnology in Animal production
Gm Seeds
The challenge of producing more food grains to feed the ever increasing population of India that has already crossed one billion mark with less resources has bought companies like Mahyco, Monsanto, Syngenta, ProAgro, Advanta to invest in GM crops. It was in 2002 a joint venture between Mahyco and Monsanto called Mahyco- Monsanto Biotech Ltd got the green signal from the Government of India for the commercial production and sale of Bt cotton (Bollgard) in six southern states of India. A lot of awareness campaigns have to be conducted to reach out to the farmers to brief them about the benefits of using seeds that are resistant to pests, diseases, herbicides, and crops which are tolerant to drought, cold, salinity and other harsh environments. This will bring in confidence among the farmers as well as the industry people. Biofertilizers, biopesticides
In addition to GM seeds, the farmers are also looking at biofertilizers, biopesticides to get more benefits. Now the farmers are using formulations based on Bt, viruses like NPV, and GV, as well as neem-based pesticides. To meet the increasing demand, the industry has to scale up investments in biofertilizers and biopesticides. Conservative estimate shows that the 10 percent saving through the use of biofertilizers will result in an annual saving of 1.094 million tons of nitrogenous fertilizers costing around Rs 550 crore. Biofuel Looking at the opportunity in biofuel sector, the central government has taken an initiative to promote this sector in a big way. The total consumption of ethanol-blended petrol is expected to be 4.6 million tons per year. This sector not only helps sugarcane farmers, as cane is used as raw material for production of ethanol, but also helps in building up the oil security apart from benefiting the environment. It can save foreign exchange to the tune of Rs 80,000 crore, as India imports about 70 percent of its requirement of crude oil.
Plant Production Biotechnology There is scarcely any aspect of plant production that will not undergo profound changes as a result of the application of biotechnology. Commercial applications of plant genetic engineering have not yet occurred. At the present time, more traditional aspects of biotechnology such as tissue culture have had an important impact, especially in the acceleration of the breeding process for new varieties and in the multiplication of disease-free seed material. Provision of seeds: Plant breeding has been enhanced considerably by in vitro development of improved varieties which are better adapted to a specific environment. The application of tissue culture has several advantages, including rapid reproduction and multiplication, availability of seed material throughout the year etc. Since the application of tissue culture does not require very expensive equipment, this technology can be applied easily in developing countries and can help to improve local varieties of food-crops. For example, using traditional methods for propagating potatoes. Reduced use of agrochemicals: Biotechnology can help reduce the need for agrochemicals which small farmers in developing countries often cannot afford. A reduction in the use of agrochemicals implies fewer residues in the final product. This is expected to enhance the productivity and land fertility as well as reduction in toxic elements in crops. Increased production: Biotechnology can be used in many ways to achieve higher yields; for example by improving flowering capacity and increasing photosynthesis or the intake of nutritive elements. Productivity increases may lead to lower prices¸ which is a vital policy objective in many a developing nation. Improved harvesting: The cloning of plants can help to reduce the work necessary for harvesting. When individual plants show more uniform characteristics, grow at the same speed and ripen at the same time, harvesting will be less laborious. A reduction in the workload is not only an objective in highly industrialized countries, it can also be very important for small farmers in developing countries. Improved storage: Food shortages would not exist in many countries if the problem of post-harvest losses could be solved. In the future, genetic engineering may be used to remove plant components that cause early deterioration of the harvest. For instance, a technique to reduce the presence of a normal tomato enzyme involved in the softening of ripe tomato fruit has been patented and would be found very useful for enhancing the shelf life of crops of various varieties. |