PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY

Specific Foundation / Core

The course is also offered to exchange programme students.

After completing this course students should be able to:  To understand the role of modern Biotechnological methods and approaches in plant improvement  Understand the application of recombinant DNA technology to transfer new characters to plants.  Understand the differences between conventional breeding and the application of new technologies in plant breeding

Agricultural Biotechnology has opened new avenues in plant improvement and shows the enormous potential of this new field of Genetics. Application of this methodology complements and enhances classical breeding. Definitions such as Biotechnology, Genetic Engineering, Transgenic plants, Genetically Modified Organisms are given in the introduction. Different sources of genes and their utilization are discussed. The first part analyses the basic biological knowledge (molecular tools) necessary to understand recombinant DNA technology and the use of Genetic Engineering in plant improvement. Then the in vitro manipulations of the genetic material, principles and methods of genetic modification in plants and the basic requirements in a gene transfer system for the production of transgenic plants with improved characters are described. In particular, the process of gene cloning in bacterial cells, the techniques (depending on the plant species) that allow the integration of new characters such as the use of A. tumefaciens and the DNA “gene-gun”, the formation of transgenic plants, study of the factors influencing the genetic modification and the regeneration of the genetically modified explants on selection media, the integration and expression of the transgene and its analysis are described. Genetic control of the new characters in the cultivated plants and the way of inheritance of the various agronomic characters are presented. In addition, the genetic modification of chloroplasts, the expression of recombinant proteins in plants and advantages of genetic modification of chloroplasts are described. In the next section, the use of the new molecular tools “molecular scissors” for precise integration of transgenes and the new gene technique CRISPR is mentioned. The last part describes the applications of biotechnology in plants such as the creation of plants resistant to herbicides, biotic and abiotic factors, quality and special characteristics, foods of high nutritional value. Finally, reference is made to the handling and marketing of the GM crops, regulatory issues of GMOs and their products in the EU legislation on GMOs (Regulation concerning new or novel foods) but also the concerns and perspectives (response-challenges-opportunities).

26-09-2022