🍀BIOTECHNOLOGY SHORT NOTES IMP POINTS 🍀....
. Biotechnology essentially deals with industrial scale production of biopharmaceuticals and biologicals. The applications of biotechnology include therapeutics, diagnostics, genetically modified crops for agriculture, processed food, bioremediation, waste treatment and energy production.
2. Biotechnology have the following three critical research areas:
(i) To provide the best catalyst in the form of improved organism, usually a microbe or pure enzyme.
(ii) To create optimal conditions through engineering for a catalyst to act.
(iii) Downstream processing technologies to purify the protein/organic compound.
3. Biotechnological Applications in Agriculture
(i) Biotechnology applications in agriculture involve following three options:
(a) Agrochemical based agriculture.
(b) Organic agriculture.
(c) Genetically engineered crop-based agriculture.
(ii) Green revolution increased food production due to the use of:
(a) Improved crop varieties.
(b) Agrochemicals (fertilisers and pesticides).
(c) Better management practices.
(iii) Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) are plants, animals, bacteria and fungi whose genes have been altered by manipulation.
(iv) Genetic modification in plants have lead to following:
(a) Crops became more tolerant to abiotic stresses, such as cold, drought, salt, heat, etc.
(b) Dependence on chemical pesticides reduced, i.e. pest resistant crops.
(c) Post harvest losses reduced.
(d) Efficiency of mineral usage increased in plants (preventing loss of soil fertility).
(e) Nutritional value of food is enhanced, e.g. vitamin-A enriched rice.
(f) Tailor made plants are created by using GM plants to supply alternative resources to industries, in the form of starches, fuels and pharmaceuticals.
(v) Some of the applications of biotechnology in agriculture are the production of pest resistant plants, which decrease the amount of pesticide used.
