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What is Biotechnology?

Biotechnology is the use of living organisms and their internal systems for the benefit of the human being. With the advancement of various molecular techniques, scientists have used biotechnology in various fields, e.g. for the production of genetically modified (GM) crop, new drugs, vaccines, enzymes, chemicals for industrial use, diagnosis, to increase the yield of the crop, waste management, etc.

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Applications of Biotechnology

Earlier the use of biotechnology was limited to making bread, alcoholic beverages and cross breed animals and crops. Modern biotechnology makes use of the advancement in science such as genetic engineering and recombinant DNA technology with great effect and has expanded the application of biotechnology for the benefit and well being of humans.

1. Application of Biotechnology in Agriculture

The “Green revolution” used the application of pesticides and fertilizers to increase the production of crops. This resulted in excessive use of chemicals, thereby polluting the soil and environment as well as various harmful effects to the consumer.

Application of biotechnology in the field of agriculture has greatly reduced the usage of fertilizers and chemicals.

Genetically Engineered Crops:

Using genetic engineering and recombinant DNA technology, genes for the desired trait are introduced in the species. This type of genetically modified plant species is known as GM crop.

These GM plants have many benefits:

• Crops can be made insect and pest resistant
• Nutritional value of the food can be increased
• Increases the yield by many folds
• Reduces the use of harmful chemicals and fertilizers
• Crops can be made more tolerant to environmental stress
• Efficient mineral utilization by plants
• Yield can also be increased by having a short maturing period

Examples of GM Plants

• Golden rice: Vitamin A enriched variety of rice.
• Bt. cotton, Bt. corn: Bacillus thuringiensis produces an insecticidal protein, known as Bt toxin. These insect-specific Bt toxin genes are incorporated into the genome of certain plants like cotton, corn, etc. These modified crops have insect resistant quality.
• Pest resistant tobacco plant: A nematode Meloidogyne incognita lives as a parasite in the root of tobacco plants. The plant is made resistant to infection by using the RNA interference technique. The nematode specific genes are introduced in the plant using Agrobacterium vector. The transgenic plant produces double-stranded RNA, which silences mRNA of the nematode and they are unable to survive.
• Virus resistant plants: The gene encoding for the protein of virus coat is transferred to the host plant resulting in the virus-resistant plant species. This has been used to produce virus-resistant squash.
• Flavr Savr Tomato: Gene responsible for the production of the enzyme polygalacturonase is blocked. This enzyme is responsible for degrading pectin and softening of the fruit. The transgenic variety of tomato can stay fresh and retain flavour for a longer duration.

2. Application of Biotechnology in Medicine

Biotechnology has vast applications in the medical field. Biotechnology is used for therapeutic, diagnostic, scientific investigations for forensic studies, production of vaccines, antibiotics and various drugs.