Different innovations in Plant science are important for helping farmers in conserving biodiversity and providing a sustainable food supply for all

According to United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), food production still needs to increase by 70% if we are willing to feed nine billion people by 2050. To achieve this, a further 30 million hectares cropland may be needed (OECD). If biodiversity is to be preserved, the amount of parkland, forests and natural habitats brought into agricultural use has to be minimised.

Togetherly, plant science technology, crop protection and plant biotechnology, will help farmers in increasing the productivity of existing arable land in use, resulting in reduction of the need of expanding agricultural land, limiting the loss of biodiversity and natural habitats. Whereas, biotech crops are already contributing to higher yields for many farmers around the world who have potential to increase yields globally by up to 25%. Plant breeding practices, including biotechnology, have further led to an increase in the genetic variety of crops.

Crop protection and plant biotechnology products will increase agricultural productivity by reducing crop losses to pests and disease. Without them, yield losses would double to reach 40-80%. They are critical to protecting local biodiversity from the impact of invasive alien species, such as the salt cedar tree in the US, which can consume up to 1,000 liters of water in one day, and increase the salinity of surrounding water and soil. Agriculture is both reliant on a rich ecosystem, and a vital force in maintaining it.

Farmers today are facing a double challenge of having to increase their productivity while preserving the rich biodiversity upon which long-term food security depends.

Traditional and Modern Food Biotechnology

With the increase in the global demand for food and food products, scientists all over the world have been probing the possibility of finding a way to increase crop yields, enhance and improve the nutritional value and taste, while protecting the environment by reducing the use of chemicals such as pesticides. This is where biotechnology comes into the picture by providing the required technology to achieve those.

Traditional and Modern Food Biotechnology:

Food biotechnology is not a new concept. It had already been used long before the term itself was coined. For centuries, man has been exploiting biology to make food products such as bread, beer, wine, and cheese. For example, man had already learnt the method of fermenting fruit juices to concoct alcoholic beverages during the period around 6000 BC. Traditionally, the most common form of food biotechnology is the process in which seeds from the highest yielding and best tasting corn are grown each year, resulting in the better yield year after year.

The process of obtaining the best traits in food products became much easier with the introduction of "genetic engineering" and "gene cloning" in modern food biotechnology about two decades ago. Now, by transferring and altering genes, scientists can remove certain genetic characteristics from units and move it into the genetic code of another, to make them more resistant to diseases, richer in vitamins and minerals, etc. Food biotechnology has also made plant breeding safer since single genes can now be transferred without moving thousands, making it possible to identify those defective genes or their proteins which may be harmful or toxic.

In the United States and many parts of the world, crops and food products such as soyabeans, corn, cotton, canola, papaya, and squash produced through biotechnology have become significant components of the people's diet.

What are the Benefits?

Nutrition: Foods that are genetically engineered or produced through food biotechnology are more nutritious because they tend to contain more vitamin and minerals since they are made from a combination of select traits that are considered to be the best.

Safety: Foods from biotechnology are much safer because the possibility of toxin content is almost minimal in comparison to those grown traditionally. This is because any gene containing toxin or suspected to be toxic is removed during transferring and altering of genes.

Better Yield: Food biotechnology seems to increase crop yields by introducing food crops that are more resistant to harsh climates, decreasing the amount of diseased units, and improving the productivity of a particular crop etc. This becomes very practical considering the amount of food in demand, and consumed globally.

Reducing the need for chemical insecticides: Food biotechnology also opens the possibility of producing crops that are naturally or self-resistant to diseases and pests. For example, the gene for a bacterial protein which kills insect pests has successfully been introduced into a range of crops, reducing the need for chemical insecticides. Pest-protected crops also allow for less potential exposure of farmers and groundwater to chemical residues.

The Benefits Of Agricultural Biotechnology

Agricultural biotechnology is any technique in which living organisms, or parts of organisms are altered to make or modify agricultural products, to improve crops, or develop microbes for specific uses in agricultural processes. Simply put, when the tools of biotechnology are applied to agriculture, it is termed as "agricultural biotechnology". Genetic engineering is also a part of agricultural biotechnology in today's world. It is now possible to carry out genetic manipulation and transformation on almost all plant species, including all the world's major crops.

Plant transformation is one of the tools involved in agricultural biotechnology, in which genes are inserted into the genetic structure or genome of plants. The two most common methods of plant transformation are Agrobacterium Transformation - methods that use the naturally occurring bacterium; and Biolistic Transformation - involving the use of mechanical means. Using any of these methods the preferred gene is inserted into a plant genome and traditional breeding method followed to transfer the new trait into different varieties of crops.

Production of food crops has become much cheaper and convenient with the introduction of agricultural biotechnology. Specific herbicide tolerant crops have been engineered which makes weed control manageable and more efficient. Pest control has also become more reliable and effective, eliminating the need for synthetic pesticides as crops resistant to certain diseases and insect pests have also been engineered. Phytoremediation is the process in which plants detoxify pollutants in the soil, or absorb and accumulate polluting substances out of the soil. Several crops have now been genetically engineered for this purpose for safe harvest and disposal, and improvement of soil quality.

According to the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture)'s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), in reference to a section specific to the major biotechnology derived field crops, out of the whole crop plantings in the United States in 2004, biotechnology plantings accounted for about 46 percent for corn, 76 percent for cotton, and 85 percent for soybeans.

Modern agricultural biotechnology has now become a very well-developed science. The use of synthetic pesticides that may be harmful to man, and pollute groundwater and the environment, has been significantly lessened with the introduction of genetically engineered insect-resistant cotton. Herbicide-tolerant soybeans and corn have also enabled the use of reduced-risk herbicides that break down more quickly in soil. These are nontoxic to plants or animals, and herbicide-tolerant crops help preserve topsoil from erosion since they thrive better in no-till or reduced tillage agriculture systems. Papayas resistant to the ringspot virus were also developed through genetic engineering, which saved the U.S. papaya industry.

Agricultural biotechnology may also be helpful in improving and enhancing the nutritious quality of certain crops. For example, enhancing the levels of beta-carotene in canola, soybean, and corn improves oil compositions, and reduces vitamin A deficiencies in rice. There are also researches going on in the field of biotechnology to produce crops that will not be affected by harsh climates or environments and that will require less water, fertiliser, labour etc. This would greatly reduce the demands and pressures on land and wildlife.