What is Plant
Biotechnology?
People have been
breeding plants to improve quality, increase yields and reduce harmful
characteristics in crops for thousands of years. In the last few decades, plant
breeders have been able to introduce beneficial traits in plants more precisely
using a variety of techniques commonly known today as plant biotechnology.
There are a number of
processes that fall into the broader category of plant biotechnology.
Three that are commonly
talked about are:
- Genetic modification (GM) – a broad term commonly used interchangeably with
genetic engineering.
- Genetic engineering (GE) – a set of laboratory-based methods used to
change the genetic makeup of cells by removing, moving or transferring
genes within and between plants in order to produce the desired effect.
Plant products from this process have been federally regulated since 1988.
- Mutagenesis –
a process where the genes of an organism are altered. This process occurs
in nature, but plant breeders can accelerate the alteration of a plant’s
genes experimentally by the use of chemicals or radiation. Mutagenesis as
a science was developed in the first half of the 20th century and many of
today’s varieties of crops have been derived using it.
Benefits of Plant
Biotechnology
Plant biotechnology
provides numerous benefits to farmers, the environment and to consumers.
Canadian farmers rely on
plant biotechnology to:
- Control threats to productivity such as weeds, insects
and disease
- Reduce or eliminate the use of tillage to control weeds
which significantly enriches soil and reduces erosion
- Produce higher yields from the land currently in production
Plant biotechnology
provides benefits to the environment by:
- Increasing yields so that more food is produced on less
land, protecting valuable green spaces and the wildlife within
- Allowing for conservation tillage that enables farmers
to make fewer passes over the field, reducing fuel use and soil
erosion and contributing to fewer greenhouse gas emissions
- Improving crops to meet biofuel demands which provide
cleaner, environmentally friendly sources of renewable energy
Plant biotechnology
research is currently well underway to produce innovations in crops such as:
- Seeds that grow better in drought conditions or in
soils with excessive water
- Seeds that can grow in high salinity soils which would
not normally allow healthy plant growth
- Seeds for crops that can better withstand viral and
insect diseases
- Improving nitrogen use efficiency in plants so that
fewer applications of fertilizer need to be made.
- See what’s in the biotech pipeline:
Future innovations in Biotechnology
Plant biotechnology
helps farmers provide Canadians with safe, nutritious and affordable foods. In
the future, they may do even more with crop innovations.
Scientists are looking
at ways to use plant biotechnology so that:
- There will be foods with human disease-fighting
properties like:
- Tomatoes rich in lycopene, a powerful antioxidant
- Corn and soybeans with increased vitamin C and E
- Tomatoes with 10 times the normal levels of folic
acid, a B Vitamin essential in healthy cell formation
- Tastier foods that last longer can be produced like:
- Sweeter peppers and peas
- Strawberries with improved shelf-life, texture and
better flavour
- Reduced browning and better shelf life of apples,
tomatoes, bananas, melons and potatoes
- Allergenic proteins naturally occurring in peanuts,
soybeans and milk can be identified, reduced or removed.
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