Current Uses of Biotechnology in Agriculture

Genetic engineering can be used to modify the genetic compositions of plants, animals, and microorganisms. The number of genes that have been isolated and are available for transfer is growing daily. Currently, the technology is used primarily to modify crops, although a number of other applications are in the wings.

Like other products, genetically engineered products undergo a period of research and development before they are ready for commercial release. Many products never emerge from the research and development pipeline. While this is true for almost any technology, genetic engineering is turning out to be more difficult and more expensive than early proponents expected. Although in the early 1980s biotechnology was touted as a miracle technology that was going to usher in a new era of agricultural abundance with minimal harm to the environment, the initial set of products has proved modest. Some of the most important commercial applications of biotechnology are discussed below.

 In agriculture (reducing the risk of alien viral or transgenic genes, or prions such as BSE/"MadCow", reducing the risk of food bacterial contamination)

 Biosafety in agriculture, chemistry, medicine, exobiology and beyond will likely require application of the precautionary principle, and a new definition focused on the biological nature of the threatened organism rather than the nature of the threat.