15: Agricultural Biotechnology

Agricultural biotechnology provides us with the potential to feed our burgeoning world population successfully, yet remains controversial in many parts of the world. This chapter discusses some of the recent advances in agricultural biotechnology, including plant pathogen resistance, tolerance to abiotic stresses such as drought, extreme temperature and salinity and improvements in crop yield. The chapter also describes how plants can be altered to improve nutrition, using strategies such as biofortification and the production of plant-made pharmaceuticals. The use of plants for environmental purposes such as phytoremediation and biofuel development is outlined. The chapter concludes with a consideration of public opinion and acceptance of agricultural biotechnology.