MODERN BIOTECHNOLOGY AND AGRICULTURE
By: Association of agricultural plant biotechnology, Agro-Bio
Currently, talk about plants that
descontaminan the environment, detect
antipersonnel mines, are protected against
devastating pests, grow in arid soils or in
environments with low temperatures and
varieties with greater amount of nutrients, is
possible as a result of the application of
modern techniques in biotechnology, inter
alia, of which are genetically modified plants.
Modern biotechnology applied to agriculture
is one of the tools that has allowed man to
develop processes of crop improvement. The
human intervention to modify plants with
better characteristics has been present since
millions of years ago: when the human being
was the best seeds, collecting was selecting
those that better conformed to their
cultivation and food needs and thus
generated a genetic modification by
selection.
As well as the evolution of computers, the
arrival of the car or new technologies, the
man uses and is currently developing new
techniques to help you obtain better crops
that respond to the needs of different
sectors and of the global population, in
general.
Improvement techniques mediated by
genetic engineering is possible to develop
more efficiently and with more agility, e.g.
food fortified with vitamins and minerals,
varieties resistant to pests or diseases,
healthier oils or vaccines in food. In addition,
farmers can potentially produce more food
on less land, grow in desert areas or salinas
and people who suffer from allergies can
enjoy food that by their status are
prohibited.
Around the world, scientists of different
specialties work and experience in the
development of these characteristics in crops
and foods genetically modified - GM-,
seeking to improve the quality of life of
society. The main aspects which are
improving in crops are related to
characteristics of agronomic, nutritional,
environmental and health.
Applications of agricultural biotechnology
1. Resistance to pests and diseases
Through biotechnology it has been possible
to obtain crops that are auto protect against
diseases and pests. In Colombia, for example,
developed cotton Bt (Bacillus Thuringiensis),
variety which protects some Lepidoptera
insects that attack this crop.
2. Plant tissue culture
Large scale allows the dispersion of species,
it facilitates the production of disease-free
plants and the spread of species with
germination problems or with very long
development times as in the case of fruit and
forestry.
3. Herbicide resistance
It allows farmers to control weeds that grow
next to the crop without affecting it. This
feature has been used for crops such as
soybean or cotton for resistance to
glyphosate and Glufosinate.
4. Improvement of the nutritional
properties
Knowledge of the metabolism of plants has
allowed, through the use of biotechnology,
enhance and introduce some features of
interest to nutritional and food levels.
Tomato, for example, has been achieved in
improving the ripening process in rice was
achieved increase the content of vitamin A
("Golden Rice"), in maize seeks to increase
the content of provitamin A content of oleic
acid and cassava.
5. Resistance to abiotic stress
Many regions in the world are not suitable to
be grown due to its low temperatures or too
high. Likewise, there are significantly
contaminated or regions with high levels of
acids and salts. Scientists have studied the
conditions which enable the plants to adapt
to these features and have made significant
progress, for example corn varieties resistant
to high temperatures ideal for regions in
Africa, varieties of flowers that best tolerate
Frost and plants to not only grow on saline
soils, but also with descontaminadoras
properties.
Other examples:
 Flowers with new impossible to get by
crossing or hybridization colors. This
is the case of Carnation and the rose
of blue.
 GM plants to detect landmines. And
GM plants that produce
 biodegradable plastics and would be
able to produce one gram of
biodegradable plastic per 100 grams
of plant are highlighted in the
auxiliary industry to agriculture.
 Bananas, lettuce, mango GM to
produce vaccines against tetanus,
malaria, among other diseases.
MODERN BIOTECHNOLOGY IN
COLOMBIA
Colombia is no stranger to the adoption of
genetically modified crops and since 2002
has been using this type of technology. The
use of an organism genetically modified in
Colombian fields was adopted for the first
time this year: Blue Carnation.
Colombia, according to the report of the
international applications service Agro -
biotechnology, is part of the Group of
countries that planted less 0.05 million
hectares of the total area and is the largest
producer of GM crops in the Andean region.
In 2005 were planted at the national level,
approximately 24,000 hectares of genetically
modified crops in the departments of
Córdoba, Tolima, Huila, Valle, Cesar and
Cundinamarca.
All GM products are available in the market
are subjected to rigorous evaluations to
ensure their safety. International
organizations such as the Food and Drug
Administration - FDA-, the World Health
Organization - who - and different academies
of Sciences have ensured that GM foods are
available in the market are as safe as
conventional.
At the national level the general framework
of biosecurity for the genetically modified
organisms - GMOs - sets the Cartagena
Protocol on Biosafety which aims to
contribute to ensure a level of protection for
the transfer, handling and use safe of living
modified organisms, resulting from modern
biotechnology.
The competent national authority of GMO
agricultural use is the Institute of Colombian
agriculture - ICA-entity that advises the
national biosafety Technical Council body
with formed by representatives of the
Ministry of agriculture, Ministry of Social
protection, Ministry of environment, the ICA
and Colciencias.
Two crops have been approved for
commercial use in Colombia: cotton and
Carnation. The first has been modified to
withstand the attack of certain insects
(Lepidoptera) and to tolerate the application
of herbicide glyphosate and the second to
produce blue carnations. In addition, maize
and other crops such as cassava, roses are in
evaluation process.
And cassava, rice, cane, pasture and coffee
crops develop studies aimed at improving
their characteristics.
Biotechnology
The Convention on biological diversity - CBD -
defines biotechnology as "any technological
application that uses biological systems and
living organisms or derivatives for the
creation or modification of products or
processes for specific use".
 Marketed products
 Bt cotton
This cotton is as characteristic
resistance to Lepidoptera insects,
their genetic modification is to
incorporate a gene from the
bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis and
has been approved for use in the dry
and humid Colombian Caribbean.
According to data from Conalgodón,
currently 35% of the total area sown
with cotton Colombia corresponds to
genetically modified crops. In 2005,
23.606 hectares were planted in
total.
 Cotton RR
It is resistant to the herbicide
Roundup Ready cotton. In 2004 the
RR cotton was released for
commercial crops in Córdoba and
100 hectares of GM cotton were
planted for 2005.
 Blue Carnation
The ICA approved by resolution
01219 may 18, 2000 the commercial
introduction of Carnation genetically
modified blue flower plants.
The blue color in the Carnation was
achieved by the inclusion of the
petunia gene.
The area sown in greenhouse with
blue carnations in Colombia
corresponds to four hectares.
In investigation…
Other varieties are being developed at
research centers in the country (CIAT,
Cenicaña and Cenicafé) including cassava
stem barreneador-resistant rice resistant to
the virus of the white sheet and sugarcane
yellow leaf virus-resistant.
Other crops are in a more advanced state of
studies, including:
 Since its initial marketing in 1996, the global
area of GM crops increased more than fifty
times its surface initial, from 1.7 million
hectares in six countries, to 90 million
hectares in 21 countries during 2005.

Since its marketing ten years ago, the global

surface has increased annually with a double
digit growth rate, fact that reflects the
confidence of millions of farmers who have
adopted GM varieties.

GM soy is the main GM crop, with an area of

 Corn Lepidoptera insect-resistant and
tolerant to herbicide (biosafety
studies)
 Rice resistant to the virus of the white
sheet (confined and small-scale field
research).
54.4 million hectares (60% of the overall area
of GMOs), followed by GM maize with 21.2
million hectares (24% of the overall area) and
cotton (variety grown in Colombia) with 9.8
million hectares, equivalent to 11% of the
overall area.

 Yuca with resistance to the

barreneador of the stem and altered
production of amylopectin and
cytokinin (confined research)

 The drill (confined research)-resistant

coffee

 Roses and blue carnations (biosafety

studies)

According to a report by the international

service for the acquisition of applications
Agrobiotecnólogicas - ISAAA - 90 million
hectares of genetically modified crops were
planted worldwide in 2005.

The study notes that approximately 8.5

million farmers in 21 countries planted GM
crops, 90% of whom are farmers of scarce
resources in developing countries.