Plant Biotechnology

1
Plant Biotechnology

• Intro to Biotech 6

2
Chapter Goals

• Describe the impact of biotechnology on the
  agricultural industry.
• Discuss the limitations of conventional
  crossbreeding techniques as a means of developing
  new plant products.
• Explain why plants are especially suitable for
  genetic engineering.
• List and describe several methods used in plant
  transgenesis, including protoplast fusion, the
  leaf fragment technique and gene guns.
• Describe the use of Agrobacterium and the Ti
  plasmid as a gene vector.
• Define antisense technology and give an example
  of its use in plant biotechnology.
• List crops improved by genetic engineering.
• Outline the environmental impacts, both pros and
  cons, of crops enhanced by biotechnology.
• Analyze the health concerns raised by opponents
  of plant biotechnology.
• Outline several ways in which biotechnology might
  reduce hunger and malnutrition around the world.

3
Crossbreeding

• Has led to many improvements
• Slow and uncertain
• Requires
• Sexual cross between two lines
• Repeated backcrossing between hybrid offspring
  and one of the parents

4
Specific Gene Transfer

• Cloning- introduce genetic material and plant
  cell reproduces via cloning
• Protoplast fusion
• mass of cells called callus grows upon injury
• breakdown cell wall- expose protoplast
• Tumor-inducing plasmid
• Leaf disc method

5
Protoplast fusion
6
Tumor-inducing plasmid
7
Leaf Discs
8
Gene Gun
9
Chloroplasts
10
Flavr Savr Tomato
11
Plant Vaccines
12
Genetic Pesticides

• Bacillus thuringiesis (Bt)- plant pesticide
• Instead of spraying on fields insert genes into
  plants
• Too much can kill monarch butterflies?

13
Herbicide resistance
14
Concerns about GMF

• Human health
• Environmental concerns
• Regulations

15
Cost and resources