Plant Biotechnology

Define lay bioengineering. Using examples discuss how it is different from handed-down / effected methods institute breeding. Plant biotechnology has been defined as the integrated use of biochemistry, microbiology and engineering sciences in-order to gain technological application of micro-organisms and cultured tissue cells in the transfer of agenttic traits from wiz make species to opposite to obtain transgenic countersinks that are of beneficial use to human kind (Lawrence . W 1968).Heldt H and Heldt F (2005) defines plant biotechnology as the art and science to produce a genetically modified plant by removing genetic tuition from an organism, manipulating it in a testing ground and then transferring it into a plant to change real of its device characteristics. . Plant breeding is the science and art of improving crop plants through the study and application of genetics, agronomy, statistics, plant pathology, entomology, and related sciences (Kuckuck et al 1991). Increased crop yield is the primary aim of most plant-breeding programs advantages of the hybrids and new varieties developed take adaptation to new agricultural areas, greater resistance to disease and insects, greater yield of useful parts, get around nutritional content of edible parts, and greater physiological efficiency. Humans take been improving crops for yield and some other characteristics since the advent of agriculture. Plant biotechnology involves processes such as genetic engineering which involves the direct addition of unknown gene/genes to the genome of an organism.It is a type of genetic modification. Traditional plant breeding also modifies the genetic topic of plants. It involves techniques such as crossing and selection of new superior genotype combinations. Firstly traditional methods unravel to breed plants that git sexually mate with each other. This limits the new traits that can be added to those that already go in that species. Secondly when plant s are crossed, m whatever traits are transformed along with the trait of interest. Whereas genetic engineering, on the other hand, is not bound by these limitations.It involves the removal of a specific fragment of DNA from bingle plant or organism and transferring the genes for one of a few traits into another. No crossing is required because the sexual barrier betwixt species is overcome. It is much specific in that a single trait can be added to a plant (Bajaj . Y 2001). According to Rost . T. I et al (2006), another difference amidst traditional plant breeding and plant biotechnology is the number of genes transferred to the offspring in each case. Plants temper approximately 80 000 genes which recombine during sexual hybridization.The offspring may therefore inherit around molar concentration new genes as a result of this recombination. This is equivalent to a 0. 0125 % change in the genome. By assembly line when a specific gene is transferred into a plant, there is a 0 . 0025% change in the genetic information of the plant, it is argued that plant biotechnology raises a more precise approach to crop improvements than sexual hybridization. Plant biotechnology through genetic engineering can cause harmful toxins to be produced by transformed plants, though it is still unclear whether it is due to the technique itself on the nature of the foreign gene.The introduction of a gene that it is known to encode a toxin in one organism will induce a equivalent effect when familiarised into a different organism (Raven P. H et al 1992). There has been a case where a transgenic soybean containing a gene from Brazil nuts elicited an allergic reaction in round people. The gene from Brazil nuts had been well characterized and its product known to cause an allergy, hence immense laboratory tests. This illustrates why rigorous characterization of a gene is required before permitting its introduction into a new species. except there is also the potential of tox ic product being produced as a result of conventional methods of crop improvements. For example, in sweet potatoes where vegetative propagation is done, potato varieties with increased pest resistance have continually been selected as giving a higher crop variety. Those varieties contain high levels of natural pesticides, called glucoalkaloids. However these compounds are toxic to animals, so could have harmful effects when eaten.This demonstrates that the nature of the novel feature should be open to debate rather than the method by which it is introduced (Lawrence . W 1968). The traditional methods of crop improvements are restrain by the sexual compatibility of the plants involved whereas with plant biotechnology through genetic engineering any characteristic from any organism of any species can be introduced into a plant. Plant breeders therefore have addition to a much wider gene pool than they have victimisation traditional crossing methods to develop a new variety.For exam ple a rice gene responsible for defense against a disease cause fungus can be transferred to a banana tree susceptible to that disease. The intent is to protect the genetically modified banana from that disease and thereby reduce yield loss and number of fungicide applications. Another example is that genes introduced into plants to provide a resistance to the herbicide Round Up was isolated from bacteria. An insecticidal toxin used as a crop spray was also extracted from bacteria. Genetically modified maize is been grown which expresses this type of proteins.One major difference between traditional plant breeding and plant biotechnology genetic engineering/ modification is that, while extensive restrictions are in place to limit the development and release of genetically modified varieties, those developed by sexual hybridization and mutagenesis are under no restrictions (Raven P. H et al 1992). A major aid surrounding the cultivation of genetically modified crops is the possibil ity of cross pollination between transgenic and related crops.While this is intelligibly possible for some species, but not all crop species have native wild relatives with which they are sexually compatible meaning that the possibility of the production of super weeds is not possible. Plants such as carrots are allowed only to flower for seed production meaning that cross-pollination during normal commercial cultivation is unlikely. In plant biotechnology plants can be grown in artificial medium requiring less polish mass to produce cock-a-hoop amounts of crops in less time. Although it seems like a great alternative to the foregoing methods, it can also be devastating.By growing plants at a faster rate there is a possibility of losing the essential vitamins and nutrients that are important for us. Transgenic plants are still a relatively new playing field and no concrete evidence for any of this existing but it is growing concern (Bajaj . Y 2001). Heldt . H and Heldt . F (200 5) says, the techniques of traditional breeding are very time-consuming. By making crosses, also a large number of undesired genes are introduced into the genome of the plant. The undesired genes have to be sorted out by back-crossing.Using plant biotechnology which involves the use of Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism it greatly facilitates/substitutes conventional plant breeding, because one can progress through a breeding program much faster, with smaller populations and without relying entirely on testing for the desired phenotype. RFLP makes use of restriction endonucleases enzymes which recognize and cut specific nucleotide sequence in DNA. The cut fragments are separated according to size by gel electrophoresis and made in sight by hybridizing the plant DNA fragments with labeled DNA probes.The closer two organisms are related, the more pattern of bands overlap. With conventional breeding, the pool of available genes and the traits they code for is limited due to sexu al incompatibility to other lines of the crop in question and to their wild relatives. This restriction can be overcome by using the methods of genetic engineering, which in principle allow introducing valuable traits coded for by specific genes of any organism (other plants, bacteria, fungi, animals, viruses) into the genome of any plant. According to Rost . T. I et al (1992), transgenes are inserted into the nuclear genome of a plant cell.Recently it has become possible to introduce genes into the genome of chloroplasts and plastids. Transgenic plants have been generated using methods such as agrobacterium-mediated DNA transfer, direct DNA transfer, particle bombardment and electroporation. References 1. Bajaj . Y. (2001). Transgenic Crops. Berlin. Springer. 2. Heldt . H and Heldt . F. (2005). Plant Biochemistry. 3rd edition. California. Elsevier. 3. Kuckuck . H Kobabe G. and Wenzel G. (1991). Fundamentals of plant breeding. New York. Springer-Verlag. 4. Lawrence . W. (1968). Plan t breeding. London. Edward Arnold Publishers Ltd. 5. Raven P.H, Evert . R. F and Eichron . S. E. (1992). Biology of Plants. 5th edition. New York. Van Hoffman Press Inc. 6. Rost . T. l. , Barbour . M. G. , Stocking . R. C. and Murphy . T. M. (2006). Plant Biology. 2nd edition. California. Thomson Brooks/Cole. CHINHOYI UNIVERSITY OF technology NAME Tanyaradzwa R Ngara REG NUMBER C1110934J COURSEPlant Biotechnology COURSE CODE CUBT 207 PROGRAMBSBIO assignment Define plant biotechnology. Using examples discuss how it is different from traditional / conventional methods plant breeding 25marks.