BIOTECHNOLOGY IN AGRICULTURE: THE FUTURE IS HERE

Hi there, good day and welcome to my blog. After my trip to Mars on the possibilities of farming and the chances of success for survival; I realized being on earth has given us lots of edge for survival – you might probably agree with me.

Agriculture is constantly changing and as such, things are becoming easier with the implementation of Biotechnology and this has been a huge success. In the ‘90s both crops and animals took vast a long time to reach maturity; this didn’t reduce production rates only, it also consumes time.

There was a time when broiler chicken was raised for about 2months before maturity and consumption but through genetic modification and genetic engineering of their feeds, it takes a maximum of six to seven weeks. How cool! This then led to improved and faster growth, better taste and flavour, above all higher production rate and yield.

Pawpaw, Coconut and Orange trees in my grandfather’s farm were usually very lengthy and required long bamboo trees to harvest their fruits but due to biotechnology, we have dwarf species that even a seven years old boy can walk up to and pluck. That’s how much biotechnology has helped this sector.

WHAT COMES BEFORE BIOTECHNOLGY?

In movies like Jurassic Park, Rampage and other science related fiction which deals with several mutation and variation in animals. Different individuals with different unique attributes, you see one animal with white fur and another with black furs; ain’t you curious what make them different? It is called variation.

Look around you, I mean aside agricultural produce. Even twin has varying identities which enables us differentiate them. So, it’s simple… Variation is caused by two factors. Ask yourself, why would children born by the same parents look different?

Genes! I’m sure we all know that, right? They speak a lot and stand for lots of differences. They are the sole reasons and factors in variations; with every individual having its set of chromosomes. Usually, they are transferred from the parent to the offspring. Colour of the eye, Resistance to pest or harsh weather and even physical appearances. Look around you for more examples of genetic variation.

Even when genes are dominant and well in placed from the parent down to the offspring, there is one major factor which causes variation in both plants and animals – Environment!

_{V = G + E; where V= variation, G= Genotype and E = Environment}

There are several factors imposed by the climate or nature itself which causes variation. There’s quite a lot difference between a child born in the snow and those born in the desert by the same parent, physically. The environment we are, speaks a lot about how we look provided but sometimes is not enough to cause a major variation except the genes are not dominant. Take a look at the picture of varying colour of carrots. This has said lots about biotechnology and variation; I hope you’re with me?

Nature has always given us something to compete about. Sometimes it’s by chance or by survival and the latter has been the one man considers. The best has to survive and reproduce the next generation to give us desirable results. There are two basically forms to which this occurs and that are Natural selection and Artificial selection

Let’s all agree, even as human we have to withstand many challenges posed by nature on us. We term it, “Survival of the fittest” and that is exactly how the best offspring is produced. In the jungle, when a lion is hungry; it preys on the weakest animal and the strongest ones get to produce new offspring.

That’s Natural selection and thus, we have no power over it. You can cite few examples around you. But, in other case where as human we decide the animals to produce new generations.

We need more from our animal, like cattle that can produce high amount of milk or a chicken that has more meat or produces big eggs. All we have to do is select your favourite animal for breeding, then proceed with your favourite biotechnology method.

There are several ways of achieving the attributes after selection processes, stay with me as I shed more light.

WHAT HAS BIOTECHNOLOGY ACHIEVED?

A lot has improved if you’d agree with me. Afterall, we’ve seen variation and selection of the best to produce. Introduction of vaccine has been a major breakthrough in agriculture. Oral vaccine has helped both animal and man where fruits now carry antigenic proteins which helps the immune system against deadly infections like cancer.

Anti-lymphoma vaccine is a biogenetically modified tobacco crop which is used in treatment of cancer! The antigen separated from Tobacco Mosaic Virus has in turn shown significant progress in the anti-cancer movement. What a joy to behold!

I guess we’ve seen this animal everywhere. Most dairy products use its image. The breed is called Holstein-Friesian and it produces about 33,000kg of milk per annum under optimal condition and is the highest producing cattle in the world. It is a cross between Holstein cow and Friesian bull; and as such through proper selection, favourable climate and the best parent or genotype, this became achievable. More examples is the poultry meat we eat or its egg we consume. These days, poultry bird aged six weeks or lesser is ready for consumption due to the bioengineering of their foodstuff; we have featherless birds, shorter crops and crops that help in production of antibodies, antigens or antibiotics to build up against diseases and higher profits. More crops are now resistant to their primary insects and crops. Biotechnology has lifted the casualty of herbicide and pesticides on farmland. Herbicides like glyphosate can eliminate all crops on the field except maize, which indeed has proven wonderful since 1998.

We have more and of course we will see more in our day-to-day activity but let’s pay attention to those genetically modified animals or plants; to have a better understanding of where we are and what is yet to be achieved.

The main purpose of investing in a business is profit making. Lower capital is required in production and within a short period of time; allowing the farmers to focus on greater aspects. Pest and disease invasion is reduced hereby bringing forth less stress in production. With eradication of potential obstacles, there is less to account for.

A typical example is the new variety of insect resistant cotton seed which requires no pesticide. Another example is protection of pawpaw from ringspot virus hereby enhancing its productivity. Another is Bacillus thermophillus used in preserving yoghurt over a long period of time. I’m sure you agree with me that biotechnology is productive, won’t you?

Biotechnology has also provided environmentally friendly crops which has been ascertained by United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

HOW HAS BIOTECHNOLOGY BEEN ACHIEVED?
There are various methods adopted, depending on available resources, manpower, skill and many more of the researcher. Goal of the research determines a lot also; example is the improvement of crop variety which takes lesser period to germinate, the cross breeding of animals to produce a better offspring in terms of survivability, production yield and physical appearances.

Genetic engineering or editing (Known example includes CRISPR, Recombinant Technology), Selection via marker assisted method, Hybridisation (Traditional method), Tissue culture, Artificial insemination amongst others.

involves a method known as CRISPR. It stands for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats. Probably, if you’ve seen the movie “Rampage” then you probably know what this means and imagined how it can help in real world. It has proved useful in modification of genes and also known as CAS9.

In crop production and enhancement of seed capabilities, removal of genetic disease in a variety, improving shelf life, faster germination process and so far, this has proved success and has such; a breakthrough to pest and disease related issues, yield output and other parameters.

Another method is through

and this quite simple because it involves giving a plant or animal DNA strands received from another organism so that they can perform new functions or fight against diseases. They are known as Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO’s) and mostly it involves transfer of genes from and to unrelated individuals.

_{how proteins are made by Nicole Ragger under Public Domain license}
This method has proved more effective due to a well structured selection system i.e the artificial selection method. This has helped in combating viruses like Ebola and immunization against pests.

We have Genetically Modified bacteria, virus, enzymes, plants and animals with new traits to counter every problem and make agriculture easier than it has been.

involves mating of selected individuals to produce the best offspring. This is the method quite known to all and involves cross breeding. Cattles like Holstein- Friesian is a cross breed and it has proved to be effective except that it takes a longer period of time and hybrid vigour .

This is clearly known to us all and adopted all through the world. Every farmer can easily select their favourite animal or crop; cross breed them with more effective specie then the offspring brings out the desired results.

is a process where the cell is grown in an artificial environment away from its live organism. It involves a medium without the use of soil. This method has helped reduce the incidence of pest and diseases. Basically, a cell is isolated from the organism into a sterile environment where it grows and multiplies very rapidly and is made to interact with other form of cells for desired results.
_{Plant Tissue culture by Daderot licensed under GNU free documentation} Biotechnology has changed its face in Africa, read more here

is quite common amongst Livestock farmers; it involves the process of collecting and transferring sperm cells from a fit animal/bull to another animal on heat without necessarily making them climb one another.

Imagine the stress of moving animals from one cage to another every time they are on heat. Moving them could be very easy for small number of stocks but in large or commercial farms; it is impossible and verily it reduces risk of diseases.

It’s simple; the sperm is collected and stored in a cool condition. Then when the animal is on heat, it is given. It has been a major income source for donation and prevention of contagious disease amongst stocks.

Look around you, revolution is everywhere. Why do we have to run from what we have? Agriculture has basically been the rudiment to all forms of science. It encompasses all forms of science which makes it a complete form of study.

Biotechnology has applied to all fields in life is the game changer. New variety of crops, diseased free plants, high yielding animals, fragrant flowers, animals with multi abilities aside their primary roles and many more. We have seen new species solving the problems we have; then that brings the begging question, “what more do we want?”

To begin with, variation has been the key player. It is what primarily brings forth change. The difference in our abilities is the strength of individuals and that is why selection is necessary. We all select the type of friends we want, either by height, skin complexion and reasoning; depending on our specifications. Selection of plant or animal species for improvement comes first then other biotechnology can be applied.

Hybridization which is a traditional method involves mating of animals or crossbreeding favourite species for a better offspring. This method can take long as a lot of crossbreeding, inbreeding, outbreeding and other methods of mating individuals. Genetic editing, Tissue culture, Recombinant DNA technology, Artificial Insemination and CRISPR are improved biotechnology methods which has so far brought hopes to better varieties.

The future of Agriculture has taken a new turn. We farm beyond hoe and cutlass; now we can stare at the future with brighter hopes knowing it comes with ease.

REFERENCES
Variation
Variation types
Agricultural Biotechnology
Crispr
Application of Biotechnology

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