Bt Cotton The Bt cotton seeds are being sown in around 60 to 70% of the area. The benefits of the Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) food crops, developed from the biotechnology, are the reduced environmental impact from pesticides; reduced human pesticide poisonings; increased yields; decreased crop losses; lower cost of production; and reduced pesticide residues on food. Increased Crop Production Biotechnology can help substantially increase the crops production. Global food shortage, due to both unprecedented increases in demand and supply deficiencies, has equally opened up an opportunity for agro-based economies. Lack of modern technology and mechanization are prime culprits of low crop yields in Pakistan. Agriculture produce may be bartered with technology of collaborating countries. These exchanges will build agriculture sector of the country on sustainable basis and contribute in global food safety. Challenges to use Biotechnology A number of technical, economic, regulatory and market factors have combined to create hurdles for the utilization of biotechnology in horticultural crops. 1. Species Diversity Hundreds of species and thousands of cultivars are represented among fruit, vegetable and ornamental crops. Thus, introducing a trait into a specific crop and cultivar may require considerable research and development before it is even feasible. The diversity of propagation and marketing mechanisms also presents challenges, as many horticultural crops are vegetatively propagated from cuttings or grafting, rather than by seed, and are perennial, bringing different issues for containment and post-commercialization stewardship. 2. Multiple Niche Markets Horticultural markets are highly segmented into a multitude of niches by location, season, consumer preferences, and other factors. Satisfying these diverse markets requires many cultivars within each species that may vary for resistance to pests and diseases, dates of maturity, seasonal adaptation, colour, shape, taste and other attributes. 3. Requirements of Processors Some biotech traits would be highly beneficial for processors, such as high viscosity in tomato or insect resistance in sweet corn. However, processors often have recognizable brand names that are much more valuable than any single product. There is little incentive for them to jeopardize their overall market position by risking protests from anti-biotech activists over the introduction of a single biotech product. In addition, many processed products are marketed internationally, so that regulatory approval would be required in each importing country, possibly with each having different testing or labelling requirements. 4. Regulatory Requirements Regulation and monitoring are needed to ensure that novel traits are assessed for food and environmental safety prior to commercialization. However, such careful precautions should not be so restrictive as to present insurmountable barriers to the commercialization of horticultural products that could provide significant benefits to producers and consumers as well as to the environment. As noted above, the diversity of regulations and regulatory bodies is particularly burdensome for commodities traded internationally, as most horticultural products are. Future Prospects Even as the adoption of biotech field crops increases every year, biotech horticultural products are struggling to emerge into the marketplace. There is no shortage of targets and applications, particularly with respect to pest management, where biotech crops could dramatically reduce the high rates of pesticide use in horticulture. However, it appears unlikely that additional biotech traits providing primarily grower benefits (so-called input traits) will be marketed in the near future for most horticultural crops (herbicide-tolerant turf grasses may be an exception). Nutritionally Enriched Foods for Health Nutritionally improved horticultural products could appeal to consumers and create demand that would lessen distributor risks. Nutritionally enhanced “foods for health,” such as canola and soybean oils with enhanced content of omega-3 fatty acids, are being developed, and if accepted by consumers, could open the door for acceptance of similar products in horticultural commodities. However, most targets for nutritional improvement require metabolic engineering of multiple genes, which will need additional research to achieve. Genomics Advances Counterbalancing this grim picture for horticultural biotechnology are some positive developments. Fundamental scientific advances continue to occur at a rapid pace, and the genomes of horticultural crops are beginning to be sequenced. Researchers and breeders in horticultural crops will increasingly be able to access and apply the information being developed in the more intensively studied model plants like Arabidopsis, rice and maize. Regulatory and Biosafety Protocols The continuing adoption of biotech field crops is stimulating the establishment of regulatory and biosafety protocols around the world, and the European Union is slowly beginning to relax its moratorium on approvals of biotech crops. Thus, while the timeline for a significant impact of biotechnology on horticulture will be pushed back from earlier predictions, continued research is creating products that will eventually lead to acceptance by growers, processors, distributors and consumers. CATEGORIES: BIOCONTROL , BIOPESTICIDES , BIOTECHNOLOGY , BT COTTON , FOOD INDUSTRY , FOOD SECURITY , GENETIC ENGINEERING , GENOMICS , GLYPHOSATE , HORTICULTURE , PLANT RESISTANCE , RFLPS , TISSUE CULTURE
Posted on: Sat, 13 Sep 2014 09:09:09 +0000
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