BIOTECHNOLOGY IN PLANT BREEDING

Biotechnology The application of biological organisms, systems or processes to manufacturing and service industries The application of scientific and engineering principles to the processing of materials by biological-agents to provide goods and services The use of living organism and their component in agriculture, food and other industrial processes The use of microbial, animal and plant cells or enzymes to synthesize, breakdown and transform materials The integration of natural sciences and organisms, cells, parts thereof and molecular analogues to product and services A technology using biological phenomena by copying and manufacturing various kinds of useful substance

Stages of Biotechnology Development Traditional/old biotechnology The conventional techniques that have been used to produce beer, wine, cheese, many other food New/modern biotechnology All methods of genetic modification by recombinant DNA and cell fusion techniques, together with the modern development of traditional biotechnological process

Biotechnology: A collection of technologies

The Applications of Biotechnology Medical Biotechnology Diagnostics Therapeutics Vaccines Agricultural Biotechnology Plant agriculture Animal production Food processing Environmental Biotechnology Cleaning through bioremediation Preventing environmental problems Monitoring the environment

Plant agriculture Crop production and protection (Quantity) Genetically engineered (transgenic) crops Using biological methods to protect crops Exploiting cooperative relationships in nature Nutritional value of crops (Quality) Improving food quality and safety Healthier cooking oils by decreasing the concentration of saturated fatty acids in vegetable oils Functional foods Foods containing significant levels of biologically active components that impart health benefits Plant Biotechnology

Breeding PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY a process to produce a genetically modified plant by removing genetic information from an organism, manipulating it in the laboratory and then transferring it into a plant to change certain of its characteristics . Breeding Systematic process of matching genetic factors from parent plants to produce offspring that are superior to parents Systematic procedures used to improve trait phenotypes by crossing and selection, directed manipulation of the genotype at the DNA sequence level, and introduction of new genes

Breeding? Application of genetics principles for improvement “Accelerated” and “targeted evolution” An evolution by artificial selection Systematic process of matching genetic factors from parent plants to produce offspring that are superior to parents Systematic procedures used to improve trait phenotypes by crossing and selection, directed manipulation of the genotype at the DNA sequence level, and introduction of new genes.

Primary Steps in Plant Breeding Develop a Vision Find or Create Variability (Techniques) Apply Selection Pressure Evaluate and Select (Screen) Commercialize Vision- developed from your knowledge and experiences w/ horticultural crops, plt pathology, entomology, etc… Sometimes its based on your intuition or expectations Variability- obtaining the genetic variation for the traits your interested in. Sources include modern cultivars, heirloom cultivars, wild taxa, related species, and now, with biotechnology any living organism Techniques- include traditional or classical plant reproduction such as self and cross pollination. Also includes identification of incompatibility systems or other problems w/ normal reproduction. And now can also be based in biotechnology such as with protoplast fusion or embryo rescue from wide crosses Selection pressure- the development of an evaluation environment that allows for the expression of variation in the trait of interest. You can’t breed for Pythium resistance without Pythium being present in your selection environment Evaluation/selection- involves the statistical analysis of progenies, Also includes an experimental design that allows for the detection of differences between families or individuals Commercialization- can include establishment of clean stock, bulking up, production, and intellectual property protection

History of Genetic Modification 1st transgenic plant created 1983 Mutagenesis breeding 1940’s 1st fertile intergeneric cross 1920’s 1860’s Darwin and Mendel science-based selective breeding mid-1700’s 1st fertile between species cross 8000 BC Selective breeding within species

Selected milestones in plant breeding 9000 BC First evidence of plant domestication in the hills above the Tigris river 1694 Camerarius first to demonstrate sex in (monoecious) plants and suggested crossing as a method to obtain new plant types 1714 Mather observed natural crossing in maize 1761-1766 Kohlreuter demonstrated that hybrid offspring received traits from both parents and were intermediate in most traits, first scientific hybrid in tobacco 1866 Mendel: Experiments in plant hybridization 1900 Mendel’s laws of heredity rediscovered 1944 Avery, MacLeod, McCarty discovered DNA is hereditary material 1953 Watson, Crick, Wilkins proposed a model for DNA structure 1970 Borlaug received Nobel Prize for the Green Revolution Berg, Cohen, and Boyer introduced the recombinant DNA technology 1994 ‘FlavrSavr’ tomato developed as first GMO 1995 Bt-corn developed

Plant Breeding Technologies & Crop Improvement (A Continuum) Time Plant Breeding Technologies & Crop Improvement (A Continuum) Genomics Analytical Technologies Transgenic Traits Biotech/Genetic Engineering Winter Nurseries Computer Technologies Plot Mechanization Quantitative Genetics Statistics Pedigree Breeding Hybridization Open Pollinated Selection Germplasm Improvement ( = higher yields) Proteomics Bioinformatics

Importance of Plant breeding? Increases in yield are derived both from improved varieties and from improved management. It suggests about a 50-50 of crop yield split between genetic gain and gain attributed to management. Planting material is the most important input in agriculture An improved cultivar is the most economic and least laborious input for crop cultivation

Does plant breeding work? Corn Yield Trends: 1870 to Today Bushels Per Acre Year Open Pollinated Varieties Double Cross Hybrids Single Cross Hybrids

Breeding Approach Empirical approach Analytical approach Evaluating grain yield per se as the main selection criterion Analytical approach An alternate breeding approach that requires a better understanding of the factors responsible for the development, growth and yield New Technology (Improved Technique) for organism “Biotechnology”

Which technology?

Comparing Genetic Modification Techniques Conventional Breeding Mutation breeding Plant Biotechnology Level Precision Certainty Limits Whole organism Molecule Thousands of genes Unknown Single gene Genetic change poorly characterized Gene function well understood Between species and genera Not applicable No limitations Will walk them through this slide, stressing that GE is more precise and predictable and that GE, because it allows us access to all of nature’s diversity, can provide products we’ve only dreamed of before now.

Traditional plant breeding Traditional donor Commercial variety New variety DNA is a strand of genes, much like a strand of pearls. Traditional plant breeding combines many genes at once. (many genes are transferred) X = Desired Gene (crosses) Desired gene Modern plant breeding Using plant biotechnology, a single gene may be added to the strand. Desired gene Commercial variety New variety (transfers) = (only desired gene is transferred)

Nobel Peace Prize Laureate "Never think for a minute that we are going to build permanent peace in this world on empty stomachs and human misery." Norman Borlaug Nobel Peace Prize Laureate “Never think for a minute that we are going to build permanent peace in this world on empty stomachs and human misery.” Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Norman Borlaug