PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY AND BIOSAFETY - A. P. Yermishin - 2015

Introduction

In a broad sense, the term "biotechnology" refers to The Use of living organisms to produce various products, substances, and energy. Rather than focusing on agricultural production through crop cultivation or animal husbandry, it primarily involves the utilization of microorganisms. Bread making, brewing, dairy production, vegetable Fermentation, winemaking, alcohol production, and the like are all Examples of traditional microbiological biotechnologies. Historically, biotechnology was long associated specifically with microorganisms because all the aforementioned traditional biotechnologies are linked to industrial production. Moreover, the second half of the 20th century saw The Emergence of a major industrial sector: industrial microbiology. Using specialized strains of Bacteria and Yeasts, microbiological facilities produce various Pharmaceuticals, plant protection products, biofertilizers, and a wide array of Food Products and raw Materials.

Following The Development of effective Methods for culturing isolated plant Cells and Tissues on artificial nutrient media, it became possible to apply breeding methods and technologies previously restricted to microorganisms to plants. These include Cell Selection—which allows genetically altered cells with desired traits to be selected on selective media—and the industrial-scale production of various compounds by cultured plant cells. However, unlike unicellular microorganisms, plant cells carry the Genetic information necessary for the functioning of a multicellular Organism. Due to their inherent property of totipotency, researchers are able to regenerate entire plants from single cells and thereby transfer genetic modifications induced at THE CELLULAR LEVEL to the whole-organism level. Furthermore, the development of methods for obtaining and culturing plant protoplasts (cells stripped of their cellulosic walls) has opened up new avenues for genetic manipulation, such as somatic cell Hybridization via protoplast fusion to overcome interspecific reproductive barriers. The application of haploid and doubled haploid technology in plant generative cell culture has significantly accelerated the breeding process and enhanced its efficiency. In vitro clonal propagation technologies have also become widespread; their integration into practice has fundamentally transformed the seed production systems of many vegetatively propagated agricultural, forestry, and ornamental crops. All of these, alongside various other technologies relying on in vitro cell, tissue, and organ culture methods, are classified under plant biotechnology.

The final decades of the 20th century were marked by the rapid advancement of biotechnologies rooted in the breakthroughs of molecular biology and genetics, collectively known as "modern biotechnology" (Introduction/32.html">Genetic Engineering). Thanks to the development of methods for isolating genetic material (DNA), studying it

(identifying sequences encoding specific genes), creating novel combinations through manipulations performed outside The Cell (Recombinant DNA technology), and transferring these novel genetic constructs into the cell genome, so-called genetically modified organisms (GMOs) were developed (synonyms include living modified organisms, transgenic organisms, and organisms with novel traits). A hallmark of GMOs is the presence of human-designed DNA fragments in their genomes, which may contain A wide variety of genes along with appropriate regulatory elements, thereby conferring human-beneficial traits—many of which are unattainable through traditional breeding.

Initially, microorganisms served as the primary subjects of genetic engineering. However, because PLANT CELL CULTURE methods were already well-established by the time genetic engineering emerged (1972), progress in Plant Genetic Engineering proceeded very rapidly. As early as the beginning of the 1980s, the first transgenic forms were successfully produced in model plants (tobacco), and by 1992, the commercial cultivation of GM crops had begun. Transgenic crop varieties resistant to herbicides, Viruses, and insect pests, as well as those with improved quality traits, now span hundreds of millions of hectares. Food products derived from GMOs are no longer uncommon on store shelves across many countries worldwide.

Despite their brilliant Prospects, the advent of GMOs was met with caution by the public and the scientific community. Potential Adverse effects of GMOs on human health and the environment sparked concern and even outright rejection in numerous countries. Experience with large-scale cultivation of transgenic crop varieties has demonstrated that most of these fears are unfounded. Nevertheless, The history of GMO use remains relatively short. Consequently, most developed countries employ a system of measures aimed at preventing or reducing potential adverse environmental and health impacts of GMOs to safe levels, a framework known as "biosafety." Biosafety (the safety of genetic engineering activities) encompasses two main aspects. The first involves the development and application of risk assessment and management methods for potential adverse impacts of GMOs, while the second relates to national and international regulatory systems governing the safety of genetic engineering. Thus, modern plant biotechnology encompasses not only in vitro cell, tissue, and organ culture technologies, but also the creation and utilization of genetically modified plants, alongside the challenges of ensuring their safety.

This textbook is based on the lecture course of the same name taught by one of the authors (A. P. Yermishin) to students of the Faculty of Biology at the Belarusian State University (BSU). It covers: the methodology of in vitro plant cell, tissue, and organ culture; Applications of plant cell, tissue, and organ culture methods in breeding and genetic research, in vitro clonal propagation, maintenance of genetic germplasm collections, and The production of chemical compounds; the methodology for generating Transgenic Plants and their applications; and biosafety issues. Each chapter concludes with a summary outlining its main points, along with a set of Review Questions designed to facilitate better comprehension of the material.

The Introduction and Chapters 1–10 were written by A. P. Yermishin, while Chapter 11 was co-authored by A. P. Yermishin and E. V. Voronkova, who also curated the illustrations. The authors are grateful to Candidate of Biological Sciences E. G. Popov for providing materials for Chapter 4.