Biotechnology And Its Applications – Notes

Biotechnology Applications In Agriculture
Genetically engineered, crop-based agriculture increases food production and provides pest resistance.
Plants, bacteria, fungi and animals whose genes have been altered are called Genetically Modified Organisms or GMOs.
GM plants have higher tolerance to abiotic stresses such as cold, drought, salt and heat.
GM plants increase the efficiency of mineral usage and thereby prevent early exhaustion of soil fertility.
Bt toxin produced by a bacterium called Bacillus thuringiensis has been cloned and expressed in many plants to make them insect-resistant.
RNA interference is a pest-control strategy designed to control the infestation of nematodes or round worms.

Biotechnology Applications In Medicine
Recombinant therapeutics do not provoke the human body to create antibodies against it.
In 1983, an American company Eli Lilly prepared bioengineered insulin or human insulin.
Gene Therapy is a collection of methods employed to correct the defective genes and cure diseases such as haemophilia and cystic fibrosis.