Biotechnology has many applications in agriculture including genetic engineering of crops. It can help increase crop yields and make crops more resistant to pests, diseases, and environmental stresses. However, there are also concerns about the health and ecological impacts of genetically modified crops. In Pakistan, biotechnology in agriculture is growing with research centers working on developing salt tolerant rice, insect resistant cotton, and virus resistant potatoes through genetic engineering. Bioinformatics also helps with genome analysis and databases to support agricultural biotechnology.

1. BIOTECHNOLOGY IN AGRICULTURE
The Future!
23rd of April, 2010 A presentation by Abubaker Siddiq Shekhani

2. Contents
• Biotechnology
• Areas of Applied Biotechnology
• Conventional Methods
• Cross-Breeding & Hybridization
• Modern Biotechnology
• Biotechnology in Agriculture
• Benefits
• Issues & Concerns
• Bio-Informatics in Agriculture
• Biotechnology in Pakistan

3. WHAT IS BIOTECHNOLOGY?
‘United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity’, defines biotechnology as:
‘Any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms, or
derivatives thereof, to make or modify products or processes for specific use’
http://www.biodiv.org/convention/convention.shtml

4. Biotechnology
• Biotechnology is more than just a single
technology
• It is a field of biology that involves the use of
living things in engineering, technology, medicine,
etc
• It includes working with the living cells and their
molecules and has a wide range of uses to
improve our lives

5. APPLIED AREAS OF
BIOTECHNOLOGY

6. Conventional Methods
• Cross-Breeding &
Hybridization
• Problems
– Undesirable
characteristics in
offspring
– Removing of undesirable
traits is time-consuming
http://www.scientificblogging.com/humboldt_fellow_and_science/blog/recent_advances_plant_biotechnology_applications_agriculture

7. MODERN BIOTECHNOLOGY
Biotechnological techniques for the manipulation of genetic material and
the fusion of cells beyond normal breeding barriers

8. Biotechnology in Agriculture
• Genetic Engineering
– Recombinant DNA
– Example (Genetically Modified Crops)
http://maps.grida.no/go/graphic/graphicid/B9D85E99-D4C3-124C-D41C-CD13A3D47164

9. Genetic Engineering
• Genetically Modified Crop
http://www.cfs.gov.hk/english/programme/programme_gmf/programme_gmf_er_res2.html

10. BIOTECHNOLOGY: WHY IN
AGRICULTURE
Responsible biotechnology is not the enemy; Hunger. Not have enough
food at affordable prices; we cannot expect world health or peace
Knowlede Inn, Initials. (2010, Feb 09). “Biotechnology in agriculture.” Retrieved from http://kninn.blogspot.com/2010/02/biotechnology-
application-in_09.html

11. Why in Agriculture
Source: www.wfp.org

12. BENEFITS

13. Benefits
?
Crop
Performance
Environmenta
l Resistant
Crops
Nutrition
Supplement
Pest resistant
Crops
Improved Size
Reduced
Dependence
on Pesticides
Higher Crop
yields

14. Issues & Concerns
• Health Effects
• Ecological Risks
• Lack of Consumer
Acceptance
• Food Safety Concerns

15. BIOINFORMATICS IN
AGRICULTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY

16. Bioinformatics in Agricultural
Biotechnology
• Genome Analysis
• Computational Analysis of
Genome sequenced data
• Identification of
sequenced gene & gene
expression pattern
• Collection of databases
helps in Genome
Mapping

17. BIOTECHNOLOGY IN PAKISTAN
•Agriculture constitutes the largest sector of our economy
•It contributes about 24 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
•It accounts for half of employed labor force
•It is the largest source of foreign exchange earnings
Source: http://www.statpak.gov.pk/depts/fbs/statistics/agriculture_statistics/agriculture_statistics.html

18. Agriculture Subsector Share
Subsectors Shares
Crops 47.9
Livestock 49.6
Fisheries 1.6
Forestry 0.9
Source: Malik, Dr. Kauser. “Agricultural in Biotechnology potential for economic Pakistan: potential for economic development”

19. Biotechnology in Pakistan
• Status
– Use of biotechnology in agriculture sector started in 1985
– Currently there are 29 biotech centers
• Institutes and Universities
– Pakistan Biotechnology Information Center (PABIC)
– 29 universities and government institutes are working in the field of
biotechnology
– Member of Convention of Biological Diversity, and World Trade Organization
– Forman Christian College University, Lahore
• Research Centers
– National Institute for Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering
– Center of Excellence on Molecular Biology
Source: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_7098/is_5_90/ai_n28490423/

20. Innovative aspects of Biotechnology and
its better awareness and dissemination
Source: http://www.pabic.com.pk/PABIC-launched-TV-channel.htm

21. GM Crops Development
Crop Feature
Cotton -Diamondback moth resistance with Bt gene
- Virus (CLCuV) resistance with RNA
interference (RNAi)
Rice -Salt tolerance with Yeast and Arabidopsis Na+/H+
antiporter genes
- Bacterial blight resistance with Xa21 gene
Potato Virus resistance
Sugarcane -Insect resistance with Cry gene
- chloroplast transformation
Tomato -Male sterility through RNAi
- Virus (TLCV) resistance through RNAi
Source: Malik, Dr. Kauser. “Agricultural in Biotechnology potential for economic Pakistan: potential for economic development”

22. Conclusion
“Biotechnology is used in agriculture and the
use of bioinformatics in agricultural
biotechnology provides useful and efficient
methods”