Chapter 2
Plant Biotechnology: Its Importance, Contribution to Agriculture and Environment, and Its Future Prospects
Jeny Jose,
Csaba Éva,
Jeny Jose
Hungarian University of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Doctoral School of Plant Sciences, Páter Károly u. 1, Gödöllő, 2103 Hungary
Eötvös Loránd Research Network, Centre for Agricultural Research, Agricultural Institute, Department of Biological Resources, Brunszvik utca 2, Martonvásár, 2462 Hungary
Search for more papers by this authorCsaba Éva
Eötvös Loránd Research Network, Centre for Agricultural Research, Agricultural Institute, Department of Biological Resources, Brunszvik utca 2, Martonvásár, 2462 Hungary
Search for more papers by this authorJeny Jose,
Csaba Éva,
Jeny Jose
Hungarian University of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Doctoral School of Plant Sciences, Páter Károly u. 1, Gödöllő, 2103 Hungary
Eötvös Loránd Research Network, Centre for Agricultural Research, Agricultural Institute, Department of Biological Resources, Brunszvik utca 2, Martonvásár, 2462 Hungary
Search for more papers by this authorCsaba Éva
Eötvös Loránd Research Network, Centre for Agricultural Research, Agricultural Institute, Department of Biological Resources, Brunszvik utca 2, Martonvásár, 2462 Hungary
Search for more papers by this authorBook Editor(s):Jaspal Singh,
Rajesh Bajpai,
Ravi Kumar Gangwar,
Jaspal Singh
Bareilly College, Department of Environmental Science, Kalibari Road Bareilly, Bareilly, 243001 Uttar Pradesh, India
Search for more papers by this authorRajesh Bajpai
CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute, Plant Diversity Systematics & Herbarium, Rana Pratap Marg, Lucknow, 226001 India
Search for more papers by this authorRavi Kumar Gangwar
Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Department of Soil Science, Páter Károly u. 1, Gödöllő, 2100 Hungary
Search for more papers by this authorFirst published: 05 September 2023
Summary
The environment has bestowed humans with a vast number of resources that form the crux of our everyday needs but are constantly depleting over time. Conscious efforts have to be made in order to find alternatives and ways of using these resources in a sustainable manner to safeguard them for future generations. Constant evolution of science is witnessed over a diverse array of subjects, and biotechnology has emerged as a promising field that understands and has the potential to find pragmatic solutions to environmental and agricultural problems. Plant biotechnology is the integration of biotechnological advancements into crop cultivation in order to achieve supply needs as well as ecological demands. There are several challenges like nutritional inadequacies in developing countries, pathogen infestations, time limitations, devastating diseases, environmental pollutants, among many others, that farmers and citizens face when it comes to agriculture. It is vital to understand the interconnection between environment, agriculture, plants, and biotechnology.
This chapter aims to introduce plant biotechnology from its basics to where science has taken it until now, the need for it, its position in agriculture, and its positive contribution in combating agricultural and environmental issues. The chapter also stresses clarifying the concepts of genetically modified organism s ( GMO s), how they are created in the plant kingdom, the benefits they offer, and the controversies surrounding them. The reader will have a better understanding of the real-world applications of scientific concepts created for the improvement of crops for farmers and everyone dependent on agriculture.
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