Plant biotechnology is a set of techniques used to adapt plants for specific needs or opportunities. Situations that combine multiple needs and opportunities are common. For example, a single crop may be required to provide sustainable food and healthful nutrition, protection of the environment, and opportunities for jobs and income. Plant biotechnologies that assist in meeting the challenge include genomics, molecular-assisted selection, and transgenic crops (genetic engineering).These biotechnologies allow researchers to detect and map genes, discover their functions, select for specific genes in genetic resources and breeding, and transfer genes for specific traits into plants where they are needed. In transgenic biotechnology (also known as genetic engineering and bioengineering), a known gene for a desired trait is inserted into a plant cell. The cell is grown in tissue culture to develop a full plant. The transgenic/genetically engineered plant will express the new trait, such as an added nutritional value or resistance to a pest. The transgenic process is possible because DNA is similar throughout nature. Both in nature and in research, new genetic combinations are created by processes that include hybridization, mutation, and transgenic movement.
1. Hybridization recombines two complete sets of different genes, one from each parent, mixing them into a huge number of random new combinations.
2. Mutation creates unpredictable changes in many random genes in a single plant.
3. Transgenic gene movement, in contrast, involves only one or two specific genes inserted into a plant’s existing background of tens of thousands of genes.
Plant breeding is the art and science of changing the traits of plants in order to produce desired characteristics. Plant breeding can be accomplished through many different techniques ranging from simply selecting plants with desirable characteristics for propagation, to more complex molecular techniques.
The following are the major activities of plant breeding:
1. Collection of variation
2. Selection
3. Evaluation
4. Release
5. Multiplication
6. Distribution of the new variety
The bioinformatics outsourcing opportunity to Indian bioinformatics vendors will raise from $32 m to 2007 to $62 m. India is amongst the top 12 biotech destinations in the world and ranks third in the Asia-Pacific region. Increasing government expenditure will augment the growth of the sector — the government aims to spend USD 3.7 Billion on biotechnology between 2012-17. Government of India, Ministry of Health, Planning Commission, Aranca Research by FY17, India’s biotech industry is estimated to increase to USD11.6 billion from USD4.3 billion in FY12.
FURTHER INFORMATION:
Plant Biotechnology Handbook describes the detailed information on the subject. The major contents of this book are- The organisms of biotechnology, Transgenic plants, Genetics of Nitrogen Fixation, Mycorrhizae for Agriculture and Forestry, Animal and plant cell cultures, Somaclonal variation, cell selection an genotype improvement, Virus-free clones through plant tissue culture, Microbial metabolism of Hydrogen, Effect of environment on microbial activity, Microbial metabolism of aromatic compounds, Microbial photosynthesis, Regulation of metabolite synthesis etc.
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