Title: Introduction to Plant Biotechnology PlSc 452/552 Lecture 1 Chapter 1
1Introduction to Plant BiotechnologyPlSc 452/552
Lecture 1 Chapter 1
- C. Neal Stewart, Jr.
- plantsciences.utk.edu/stewart.htm
- nealstewart_at_utk.edu
2Rules for class
- Do the readings
- Proper preparation prevents poor performance
- Ask lots of questions
- Give lots of answers
- All opinions and thoughts will be heard and
respected - Grades are not awarded on the basis of need
Have fun!
3Questions for the semester
- What is/are genetic engineering, transgenic
plants, biotechnology? - What is the current and potential applications?
- Risks?
- Benefits?
- How does plant biotechnology fit in with plant
breeding and agriculture?
4Objectives and questions
- Define plant biotechnology.
- What biotech crops are grown and where?
- Why do farmers grow transgenic crops?
- How has the adoption of plant biotechnology
impacted the environment? - What has been plant biotechs impact in the US
and in developing countries?
5Central dogma DNA?RNA? protein
6Transgenic plants-Agrobacterium
Any gene, any organism
The new plant will pass the transgene to its
progeny through seed.
7Biolistics
Consumer reports, Sept. 1999
8Timeline
- 1962 Murashige and Skoog invent tissue culture
media that is very effective for tobacco and
other plants - 1982 First stably transgenic plantmarker gene in
tobacco - 1987 Gene gun invented.
- 1994 Flavr Savr tomato commercialized
- 1996 First wide-scale planting of soybean and
corn - 2006 Billionth acre of transgenic crop planted
somewhere in the world
9Herbicide tolerant soybean
10Bt corn
11Bt cotton
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14Progression of transgenic plants
- 1st Generation Input traits (herbicide
tolerance, insect resistance, etc.) - 2nd Generation Output traits (pharmaceuticals,
enhanced nutrition, etc.) - 3rd Generation Non-ag (phytoremediation,
sentinels, detectors)
15 Environmental benefitsHerbicide tolerant crops
have increased and encouraged no-till
agriculture less soil erosion.Over 1 million
gallons of unsprayed insecticide per year.
16Dr. Norman BorlaugNobel Peace Prize 1970Father
of the Green Revolution1914-2009
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20Figure 1.1. Global GM crop plantings in 2005 by
crop (base area 87.2 million ha). (Sources
Q3ISAAA, Canola Council of Canada, CropLife
Canada, USDA, CSIRO, ArgenBio.)
Figure 1.1
21Figure 1.3. Global GM crop plantings by main
trait and crop 2005.
Figure 1.3
22Figure 1.4. Global GM crop plantings 2005 by
country.
Figure 1.4
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27Environmental Impact Quotient (EIQ)
- Assessment of pesticide active ingredient used
- Assessment of the specific pesticides used
- Provides environmental impacts of individual
pesticides into - a single field value per hectare.
- Balanced assessment of the impact of GM crops on
the - environment
- Includes key toxicity and environmental exposure
data - related to individual products
- applicable to impacts on farm workers
- consumers and ecology
- consistent and comprehensive measure of
environmental - impact.
(Kovach et al. (1992)
28EIQ example
- The EIQ value is multiplied by the amount of
pesticide active ingredient (ai) used per hectare
to produce a field EIQ value. - For example, the EIQ rating for glyphosate is
15.3. By using this rating multiplied by the
amount of glyphosate used per hectare (eg, a
hypothetical example of 1.1 kg applied per ha),
the field EIQ value for glyphosate would be
equivalent to 16.83/ha. -
- In comparison, the field EIQ/ha value for a
commonly used herbicide on corn crops (atrazine)
is 22.9/ha.
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34Recap and answers
- Plant biotechnology molecular manipulation of
plants and cells. - What biotech crops are grown and where? Row crops
soybean and corn for herbicide tolerance and
insect resistance. US but also in 24 other
countries. - Why do farmers grow transgenic crops? More
efficient and effective better control of pests. - How has the adoption of plant biotechnology
impacted the environment? Positiveless
insecticides, less soil erosion. - What has been plant biotechs impact in the US
and in developing countries? Changed row crop
genetics in US and is making a difference in
international agriculture.
35ButGM crops not universally accepted and grown.
Why?
- Misunderstandings
- Politics
- Immature regulatory structures
- Consumer issues
- Benefits unclear to consumers
- Fear of unknown, risk perception
- Science and education should help
36Ordinary Tomatoes Do Not Contain Genes, while
Genetically Modified Ones Do
1996 - 1998
Source Tom Hoban
37I eat organic food and drink only green tea
gallons of it when Im writing. I smoke
cigarettes, but organic ones
Discussing her healthy lifestyle in Organic
Style magazine March 2005.