1. Objective 3.02 Ag Science

2. A.Biotechnology Basics 1.Defined: Biotechnology is the use of living organisms (microorganisms) to make new products or carry out new processes (solve problems). a.New product – Yogurt b.New Process – Tissue culture, propagation method that rapidly multiplies plants,

3. Historic Applications of Biotechnology a.Use of yeast to make bread rise. b.Use of bacteria to produce various kinds of cheeses and other dairy products. c.Use of microorganisms to transform fruit or grains into alcoholic beverages.

4. Historic Applications of Biotechnology d.Use of bacteria to “produce” silage e.E.coli bacteria used to produce insulin. It became one of the first commercial products created by genetic engineering.

5. Basic Genetics 1.Genetics is the science of heredity. a.Austrian monk, Gregor Johann Mendel discovered the effect of genetics on plant characteristics with his experimentation with garden peas.

6. b.Heredity is the transmission of characteristics from an organism to its offspring through genes in reproductive cells.

7. Basic Genetics c.Genes determine the individual characteristics of living things (plant height at maturity, flower color, ears of corn per stalk). They are segments of double stranded DNA. d.Generation is the offspring, or progeny, of common parents.

8. DNA –Genetic Code of Life a.A chromosome is a structure that holds the genetic information of a cell. DNA is wound tightly to form the chromosome. b. DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is the coded material in all cell nuclei that determines what that cell and its successive cells will become. Its’ structure is that of a twisted ladder (double helix).

9. DNA-Genetic Code of Life c.A gene is a small section of DNA. There are thousands of genes on a strand of DNA. d.Gene mapping – the process of both finding and recording the locations of genes.

10. DNA-Genetic Code of Life e.Bases are like rungs of a ladder that hold the two sides of the DNA strands together. The bases are: 1)Adenine (A) - only pairs with “T” 2)Thymine (T) – only pairs with “A” 3)Guanine (G) – only pairs with “C” 4)Cytosine (C) – only pairs with “G” 5) Example: A – T G – C T - A

11. DNA-Genetic Code of Life f.The sequence of the bases between the DNA strands is the code by which a gene controls a specific trait (baldness in humans, tendency of female goats to have twin offspring).

12. Processes and Practices in biotechnology 1. Genetic engineering developed in the early 1980’s is the process of moving genetic information in the form of genes from one cell to another. Termed: a. Gene splicing or Recombinant DNA technology- the process of removing and inserting genes from one organism and inserting them into the DNA of another.

13. Processes and Practices in biotechnology b. Some examples are: 1) Alter a plant’s susceptibility to disease. 2) Make a plant resistant to insects. 3) Process in animals is newer and not as well developed techniques exist yet.

14. Processes and Practices in biotechnology 2. Cloning (micropropagation in plants) – creating an exact genetic duplicate of another organism. 3. Indicator species – one of the oldest methods of biological detection. This method uses plants, animals and microbes to warn us about pollutants in the environment.

15. Processes and Practices in biotechnology 4. Bioremediation – A set of techniques that use living organisms to clean up toxic wastes in water and soil. 5. Biostimulation - Adding nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus to stimulate the growth of naturally occurring beneficial microbes for faster more efficient work.

16. Processes and Practices in biotechnology 6. Phytoremediation - The process of plants absorbing or immobilizing pollutants. First tested actively at sites in the 1990’s.

17. Processes and Practices in biotechnology 7. Animal Reproduction and Production – the processes used in improving the efficiency of reproduction and production involve the use of biotechnology. These are considered the more conventional uses of biotechnology. 8. Biofuels – Fuels composed of or produced from biological raw materials.

18. Importance of Recombinant DNA Technology a. Improve plants’ and animals’ performance through the manipulation of genes. b. Alter characteristics or performance of microorganisms.

19. Importance of Recombinant DNA Technology c. Great potential for controlling disease, insects, weeds, and other pests is through genetic engineering. d. Less use of chemical pesticides is a result. e. Potential for helping clean the environment.

20. Concerns with the use of Biotechnology in Agriculture 1. Safety a. State and federal government monitor the development of newly developed biotech crops. b. Consumer resistance to new biotech food products remains high due to safety of the environment and human health concerns.

21. Concerns with the use of Biotechnology in Agriculture c. Biotechnology is a rapidly changing field, which when not fully understood, for some people can create a fear of the unknown. d. Labeling of genetically modified organisms (GMO) foods – many people feel if a product is safe it should be labeled.

22. Concerns with the use of Biotechnology in Agriculture e. Concern has been expressed over the effect GMO’s may have on biodiversity.

23. Ethics a. Ethics is a system of moral principles that defines what is right and wrong in a society. b. The ability to manipulate genetics of living organisms raises important ethical questions about how biotechnology should be used.

24. Scientific Method used in Biotechnology/Agriscience a.Identify the problem. a.Review literature. a.Form a hypothesis. a.Prepare a project proposal.

25. Scientific Method used in Biotechnology/Agriscience a.Design the experiment. a.Collect the data. b.Draw conclusions. c.Prepare a written report. 2. Can be employed in doing an SAE project and/or participating in the FFA Agriscience fair.

26. Biotechnology in the plant science industry 1. Herbicide and insect resistant crops are a product of genetic engineering. Examples:.

27. Biotechnology in the plant science industry a. Herbicide – tolerant soybean (RoundUp Ready Soybeans) contains a gene that provides resistance to one or two broad spectrum herbicides. There are several Roundup Ready crops available or being developed such as: Canola, Corn, Cotton, Alfalfa, Lettuce, Potatoes, Sugar Beets, and Tomatoes.

28. Biotechnology in the plant science industry b.Insect- resistant corn (Bt corn) – contains a built-in insecticidal protein from a naturally occurring soil microorganism (Bt – Bacillus thuringiensis) that gives season- long control of corn borers.

29. Biotechnology in the plant science industry 2.Crops with better nutrition and longer shelf life are products of genetic engineering.

30. Biotechnology in the plant science industry c.High Oleic Peanut – genetically modified to produce nuts in high oleic acid that results in longer life for nuts, candy and peanut butter.

31. Biotechnology in the plant science industry d.High Oleic Sunflower – modified to produce sunflower oil that is low in trans- fatty acids.

32. Biotechnology in the plant science industry e.Delayed- ripening tomato – the longer shelf life has commercial advantages in harvesting and shipping.

33. Biotechnology in the plant science industry 3.Tissue culture (micropropagation) – is the use of a very small actively growing part of the plant to produce a large number of new plants ( ie. African violets).

34. Biotechnology in the plant science industry 4.Numerous other crops have been genetically engineered to tolerate herbicides and resist insects and viruses such as, alfalfa, canola, cotton, potatoes, rice and many others.