Applications of Biotechnology in Agriculture

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What is agricultural biotechnology?

Agricultural biotechnology involves using scientific tools and techniques to modify plants, animals, and microorganisms to improve their production and quality.

How do genetically modified organisms (GMOs) benefit agriculture?

GMOs can increase crop yields, reduce pesticide use, and improve nutritional content.

What is Bt cotton and its significance in biotechnology?

Bt cotton is genetically modified to express a toxin from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, making it resistant to certain pests.

How is biotechnology used for crop improvement?

Biotechnology is used for developing crops with desirable traits like enhanced tolerance to environmental stresses, diseases, and pests.

What is biofortification?

Biofortification is the process of increasing the nutritional value of food crops through biotechnology.

How does biotechnology help in sustainable agriculture?

Biotechnology leads to sustainable agriculture by reducing the need for chemical pesticides and fertilizers.

What role does biotechnology play in developing disease-resistant plants?

Biotechnology enables the transfer of genes that confer resistance to diseases, protecting crops from devastating losses.

How are biotechnology techniques used in animal husbandry?

Techniques like genetic engineering and cloning are used to improve livestock breeds and productivity.

What is herbicide resistance and why is it important in agriculture?

Herbicide resistance allows crops to survive the application of herbicides, making weed control easier and more efficient.

Can you name a biotechnological method for plant breeding?

Marker-assisted selection is a method that uses molecular markers to select desirable traits in breeding programs.

What are some environmental concerns with agricultural biotechnology?

Concerns include potential impacts on non-target species, gene flow to wild relatives, and biodiversity loss.

What is synthetic biology's role in agriculture?

Synthetic biology can design and construct new biological parts, devices, and systems to improve agricultural productivity.

What is microbial biotechnology in agriculture?

Microbial biotechnology uses microorganisms to improve soil fertility, increase plant growth rates, and control plant diseases.

How does biotechnology aid in the production of biofuels?

Biotechnology can engineer plants and microorganisms to produce renewable energy sources like biofuels.

What is precision agriculture, and how does biotechnology intersect with it?

Precision agriculture uses technology to monitor and manage field variabilities in crops, and biotechnology provides tools for improving crop productivity and sustainability.





Test Your Knowledge

Select the correct option


1. What is agricultural biotechnology?

Increasing yield potential through natural selection.

It involves using scientific tools and techniques to modify plants, animals, and microorganisms to improve their production and quality.

The practice of crop chemical pest resistance.

Developing organic farming practices.

2. How do genetically modified organisms (GMOs) benefit agriculture?

They solely prevent soil erosion.

By decreasing the need for crop rotation.

They increase competition among native species.

GMOs can increase crop yields, reduce pesticide use, and improve nutritional content.

3. What is Bt cotton and its significance in biotechnology?

Bt cotton is genetically modified to express a toxin from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, making it resistant to certain pests.

A type of cotton that requires no water for growth.

Naturally occurring pest-repellent cotton.

Cotton bred for cold climate resistance.

4. How is biotechnology used for crop improvement?

Biotechnology is used to breed crops that need more sunlight.

It involves creating drought-resistant animal breeds.

Biotechnology is used for developing crops with desirable traits like enhanced tolerance to environmental stresses, diseases, and pests.

Biotechnology is only used for modifying DNA in animals.

5. What is biofortification?

A method to increase the shelf life of food.

The addition of synthetic chemicals to enhance nutrients.

Biofortification is the process of increasing the nutritional value of food crops through biotechnology.

A process to enhance growth in aquatic species.

6. How does biotechnology help in sustainable agriculture?

By halting all genetic modification processes.

It increases the use of synthetic chemicals.

Supports conventional farming techniques exclusively.

Biotechnology leads to sustainable agriculture by reducing the need for chemical pesticides and fertilizers.

7. What role does biotechnology play in developing disease-resistant plants?

Biotechnology enables the transfer of genes that confer resistance to diseases, protecting crops from devastating losses.

Developing biodegradable disease control solutions.

Increasing plant growth rate without modifying genes.

Purely modifying soil composition for disease resistance.

8. How are biotechnology techniques used in animal husbandry?

Techniques like genetic engineering and cloning are used to improve livestock breeds and productivity.

Through non-scientific traditional breeding methods.

By exclusively focusing on increasing feed intake.

Only by altering livestock diet plans.

9. What is herbicide resistance and why is it important in agriculture?

Herbicide resistance allows crops to survive the application of herbicides, making weed control easier and more efficient.

The ability of crops to modify their nutrient content.

Reducing the amount of nitrogen in the soil.

It is a method to enhance crop flavor.

10. Can you name a biotechnological method for plant breeding?

Marker-assisted selection is a method that uses molecular markers to select desirable traits in breeding programs.

Natural mutation selection.

Field-based rotational grazing.

Manual cross-pollination without any genetic markers.

11. What are some environmental concerns with agricultural biotechnology?

Concerns include potential impacts on non-target species, gene flow to wild relatives, and biodiversity loss.

Complete depletion of soil nutrients.

Promotion of only organic farming methods.

Reduction of global food security systems.

12. What is synthetic biology's role in agriculture?

It is largely unrelated to agriculture.

Synthetic biology can design and construct new biological parts, devices, and systems to improve agricultural productivity.

Focusing on traditional pest control methods.

Strictly enhancing animal breeding techniques.

13. What is microbial biotechnology in agriculture?

A method to control water supply.

Exclusive to creating new crop varieties.

Microbial biotechnology uses microorganisms to improve soil fertility, increase plant growth rates, and control plant diseases.

Used only for reducing air pollution.

14. How does biotechnology aid in the production of biofuels?

Biotechnology is only applied to fossil fuels.

Biotechnology can engineer plants and microorganisms to produce renewable energy sources like biofuels.

Primarily for increasing coal production.

It reduces the need for plant by-products in fuel.

15. What is precision agriculture, and how does biotechnology intersect with it?

Precision agriculture relies solely on weather forecasting.

Precision agriculture uses technology to monitor and manage field variabilities in crops, and biotechnology provides tools for improving crop productivity and sustainability.

Biotechnology eliminates the need for geographic data in farming.

It is unrelated to crop production management.