Biotechnology in crop improvement

Abstract

There are, broadly, three benefits to agriculture and crop-improvement programmes from use of biotechnology. The first of these, the reduction of the duration of breeding programmes, makes use of tissue culture. Plant tissue culture also allows creation of new genetic variation, from which useful new varieties can be obtained. New methods of hybridization can be combined with cell and tissue culture for selection of plants with desired traits. The third and most promising benefit is from use of recombinant-DNA techniques. Transgenic plants, engineered for resistance to diseases, pests and herbicides, and for better nutritional quality, have already been produced in the laboratory.