Biotechnology
refers generally to the application of a wide range of scientific techniques to
the modification and improvements of plants, animals, and microorganisms that
are of economic importance. Agricultural biotechnology is that area of
biotechnology involving application to agriculture. In the broadest sense,
traditional biotechnology has been used for thousand of years, since the advent
of the first agricultural practices, for the improvement of plants, animals and
microorganisms. The
application of biotechnology to agriculturally important crop species has
traditionally involved the use of selective breeding to bring about an exchange
of genetic material between two parent plants to produce offspring having
desired traits such as increase yield, disease resistance and enhanced product
quality. The exchange of genetic material through conventional breeding
requires that the two plants being crossed are of the same, or closely related
species and so it can take considerable time to achieve desired results. Modern
biotechnology vastly increase the precision and reduces the time with which
these changes in plant characteristics can be made and greatly increase the
potential sources from which desirable traits can be obtained.
