Agricultural Biotechnology in the 21st Century: Promises and Pitfalls

biotechnology. I restrict biotechnology to mean techniques involving the use of molecular biology of DNA. These techniques facilitate two related but different applications: the extremely specific identification of the DNA in a biological organism, and the transfer and biological functioning of DNA from one organism to another. The first has led to the ability to detect the presence or absence of genes in plants and animals using techniques collectively called molecular markers. The second has led to the ability to transfer genes from one organism to another, that is, transformation. These two abilities generate both the promises and the pitfalls of biotechnology. This paper considers how these biotechnology abilities may be applied to plants. Four broad goals have been pursued relative to plants: to change product characteristics like storability or taste, to incorporate resistance to insects, diseases, or agrichemicals such as herbicides, to increase innate yield potential, and to enable plants to produce products they were heretofore incapable of producing. In turn, a number of promises have been identified, including the following: • The potential to raise agricultural productivity and thereby the hope that we will be better able to feed the world. • An increase in agricultural research investment. • A reduction in pesticide use in agriculture, a more sustainable agricultural system, and other environmental benefits. • The use of genes from new sources. • The production of pharmaceuticals from plants. Agricultural Biotechnology in the 21st Century: Promises and Pitfalls