What is agricultural biotechnology and how does
it help agriculture?
For ages, humans have always made an improvement in each and
every field. Agriculture remains to be one of the most important practices as
food is every human’s necessity and is required for every living being’s survival.
To improve the quality of food crops, biotechnology was introduced to not only
plants but also animals and micro-organisms by manipulating the genes.
Therefore, the practice which includes application of biotechnology to
agriculture for greater yields by increasing the productivity along with
enhancement of their value is known as agricultural biotechnology.
Crops produced using this technology have more nutritional
value and have more resistance to diseases. The need for fertilizers,
pesticides and other chemicals is also reduced as they become resistant to
pests thereby developing resistance to diseases. They also acclimatize
themselves to stressful and odd environmental conditions. They also contribute
to the shelf life by keeping them fresh for long and preventing spoilage, decay
or damage without any compromise in the nutrition of the crop. The enzymatic
activity of the plants is altered which in turn enhances the flavour of certain
crops such as melons, peppers, etc. They are also cost effective.
However, many
questions were raised regarding the safety with the use of genetically modified
crops and its effects on the environment, impact on the economy and ethics by
the opponents. After a good research, it has been proven that these food
materials are definitely safe for consumption and poses no threat to human
health.
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