There have been indications of positive achievements using plant biotechnology, as analyzed in the previous article. Are they available in our environment? This article will seek to explain potential benefits accruing to various groups of people.
Modern civilization would be impossible without the domestication of a small number of plants, particularly wheat, rice, and maize. Domestication generates plants with high yields, large seeds, soft seed coats, non-shattering seed heads that prevent seed dispersal
Thus facilitate harvesting, and a flowering time that is determined by planting date rather than by natural day length. These improvements are driven by technological innovations.
Increased Productivity through Plant Biotechnology
A distinguishing feature of the introduction of technology is increased productivity because it reduces cost or enhances yield. Thus, the application of biotechnology in agriculture has resulted in benefits to farmers, producers, and consumers.
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Pest and Weed Control in Biotechnology
Plant biotechnology has helped make both insect pest control and weed management safer and easier while safeguarding plants against disease. For example, genetically engineered insect-resistant cotton has allowed for a significant reduction in the use of persistent, synthetic pesticides that could contaminate groundwater and the environment.
In terms of improved weed control, herbicide-tolerant soybeans, cotton, and corn enable the use of reduced-risk herbicides that break down more quickly in soil and are non-toxic to wildlife and humans.
Herbicide-Tolerant Plants in Sustainable Agriculture
Herbicide-tolerant plants are particularly compatible with no-till or reduced tillage agriculture systems that help preserve topsoil from erosion. The Flavr Savr tomato was the first genetically modified commercial crop.
Plant biotechnology has been used to protect plants from devastating diseases. The papaya ring spot virus threatened to ruin the Hawaiian papaya industry until papayas resistant to the disease were developed through genetic engineering something that saved the U.S. papaya industry.
Research on potatoes, squash, tomatoes, and other crops continues in a similar manner to provide resistance to viral diseases that otherwise are very difficult to control.
Increased Yields through Biotechnology
Biotech plants can make farming more profitable by increasing crop quality and, in some cases, may increase yields. The use of some crops can simplify work and improve safety for farmers, allowing them to spend less time managing their crops and more time on other profitable activities.
Biotechnology-derived varieties of pest-protected corn, cotton, and potatoes, and herbicide-tolerant soybeans, have significantly reduced pesticide and herbicide use, boosted yields, and saved growers tens of millions of dollars.
A study by the National Center for Food and Agriculture Policy found that six biotech crops canola, corn, cotton, papaya, soybean, and squash increased grower incomes by an additional $1.9 billion, boosted crop yields by 5.3 billion pounds, and reduced pesticide use by 46.4 million pounds in 2003.
Improved Quality Traits in Biotech Crops
Biotech crops provide enhanced quality traits, such as increased levels of beta-carotene in rice and improved oil compositions in canola, soybean, and corn. For example, scientists have developed a new strain of rice, called golden rice, that naturally produces beta-carotene, the precursor to vitamin A.
Golden rice can provide enough beta-carotene to make up for vitamin A deficiencies in the diets of poor children, and it also can increase the amount of vitamin A in breast milk, an important source of nutrition for infants. Furthermore, scientists have enriched the same strain of rice with additional iron to combat anemia, which affects hundreds of millions of the world’s poor.
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Drought and Salty Soils Resistant Crops in Biotechnology
Crops with the ability to grow in salty soils or better withstand drought conditions are also in the works. Thus, plant biotechnology can also be a key element in the fight against hunger and malnutrition in the developing world. Today, an estimated 800 million people do not have access to sufficient supplies of food.
By 2030, the global population is expected to reach, if not exceed, eight billion people, putting further strain on food supplies. While world population is expected to grow rapidly, particularly in developing countries, the amount of available agricultural land is limited.
Only 10 percent of the world’s land surface is arable, and over-farming and soil erosion are growing problems in some areas. To overcome these dynamics, farmers will need to find ways to grow more food while using less land.
The Role of Plant Biotechnology in Increasing Productivity
Plant biotechnology is a precise process in which scientific techniques are used to develop molecular- and cellular-based technologies to improve plant productivity, quality, and health; to improve the quality of plant products; or to prevent, reduce, or eliminate constraints to plant productivity caused by diseases, pest organisms, and environmental stresses.
This process and technology already are in widespread use in the United States today. Plant biotechnology practically increases the production of main food staples, improves the efficiency of production, reduces the environmental impact of agriculture, and provides access to food for small-scale farmers.
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