The document discusses biotechnology approaches for improving food and nutritional security. It notes that over 800 million people currently suffer from hunger globally. Key threats to food security are plants' inability to tolerate stressful conditions. The document outlines molecular marker-based systems and genetic engineering as approaches to develop stress-resistant crop varieties by introducing genes for stress tolerance. Molecular marker-based breeding allows introduction of multi-gene traits through linked markers, while genetic engineering can transfer genes across species when natural variation is limited. Recent advances include genome modification and understanding epigenetic regulation of gene expression in relation to stress tolerance.

1. Biotechnology for Food and
Nutritional security

2. Contents
 Disheartening facts 2011-2013
 Threats to Food security
 Towards development of resistant varieties
• Molecular marker based system
• Genetic engineering
 Recent advances
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3. Disheartening facts
2011-2013
• FAO’s most recent estimates indicate that, globally, 842
million people – 12 percent of the global population , were
unable to meet their dietary energy requirements in 2011–13.
• Around one in eight people in the world were likely to have
suffered from chronic hunger, not having enough food for an
active and healthy life.
• The vast majority of hungry people – 827 million – live in
developing countries.
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4. • In 2013, the total population of the world was about 7.13
billion.
• The growth rate is projected to be 1.2% per year.
• Global cereal utilization in 2013-14 is projected to be 2,413
million tons, 3.2 percent higher than in 2012-13.
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5. • What is the way out??
• Attempts to increasing the yield potentials under marginal
conditions and also developing crop varieties possessing
enriched nutrients will help us to achieve both food and
nutritional security.
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6. Threats to Food security
• As mentioned earlier the inability of the present day plant to
tolerate the stressful conditions is the major threat to food
security.
• Based on the causal agent, stress can be classified into,
Biotic – Due to pest and pathogen.
Abiotic – Due to environmental factors.
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7. Towards development of resistant varieties
• Conventional plant breeding
• Most of the traits that have relevance for improving
productivity under stressful conditions are quantitatively
inherited multi-gene controlled traits.
• There are two prominent molecular approaches to introgress
desired genes, namely,
Molecular marker based system
 Plant genetic transformation
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8. Molecular Marker based system
• Molecular marker based system is a silver bullet for the
introgression of quantitatively inherited multi-gene controlled
traits.(QTLs)
• Molecular breeding or Marker Assisted Breeding involves in
the employment of tightly linked markers flanking the QTL of
interest for the introgression of desired trait.
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9. Steps involved in MAB
 Characterization of Germplasm for the desired trait
 Development of Mapping population
 Fine mapping
 Marker Assisted Selection(MAS)
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10. Genetic Engineering
• MAS can be employed only when the variation for the desired
trait is present naturally in genetically compatible species.
• If natural variation is absent in the crossable species then
genetic engineering strategy can be adopted to transfer major
genes across genera.
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11. Steps involved in Genetic Engineering
 Identification of Candidate genes
 Functional validation of the candidate genes
 Genetic transformation
 Determination of the stable event.
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12. Recent advances
• Genome modification of plant cells by rare cutting restriction
enzymes
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13. Epigenomics
 No variation in DNA sequences i.e. all the genes are identical
in tolerant and recessive plant.
 The expression pattern of stress responsive genes vary widely
in tolerant and recessive species.
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15. References
 The State of Food Insecurity in the World - The multiple
dimensions of food security. Executive summary:2013 FAO report.
 Ira Marton, Arik Honig, Ayelet Omid, Noam De Costa, Elena
Marhevka, Barry Cohen, Amir Zuker and Alexander Vainstein From
Agrobacterium to viral vectors: genome modification of plant cells
by rare cutting restriction enzymes, Int. J. Dev. Biol. 57: 639-650
(2013) doi: 10.I387/ijdb.l30205av
 Vı´t Latzel, Eric Allan, Amanda Bortolini Silveira, Vincent Colot3,
Markus Fischer & Oliver Bossdorf Epigenetic diversity increases
the productivity and stability of plant populations , Received 23
Jun 2013 Accepted 5 Nov 2013 Published 28 Nov 2013
 Plant biotechnology, Slater
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