Biotechnology Pesticide Resistance

The development of biotechnology for pesticide resistance is projected to play a critical role in the agricultural industry for its potential benefits in cell and tissue culture and genetic and biochemical techniques, though minimally used today. The most common role of biotechnology thus far has been the circumnavigation of resistance to herbicides, but remains to be applied to fungicides, insecticides and rodenticides. The latest biotechnology is being developed in its techniques for molecular understanding of biological processes such as antibody formation, ontogenesis and cancer. The new generation will allow agrichemical and pharmaceutical synthesis to dominate the current experimental chemical and biological techniques with biotechnology …show more content…
Several practices, such as somatic cell fusion, have played a major role for antibody production, whereby an antibody producing cell with a limited life is fused with a transformed cell with an infinite life to produce a hybrid cell (hybridoma) that produces over an almost infinite period of time a single type of antibody called a monoclonal antibody (MAB). This provides qualitative and quantitative benefits for pesticide resistance for in vitro health care diagnostics. Another advantage of cell culture techniques will be in the development and selection of resistance in model systems. One technique used to increase phenotypic variability favours the regeneration of plant from culture, offering herbicide resistance over that shown in the parental cell. This is known as somaclonal or gametoclonal variation, depending on the cell …show more content…
Furthermore, whilst important in itself, biotechnology has the effect of undermining social, ecological, medical and political implications from serious representative consideration. One central concern expressed by the public is the potential future scientific hazards, from identified potential mishaps, leading to the assessment of probabilities of adverse outcomes to human health and environmental impact in relation to the overall system of biotechnology practices. Another frustration expressed by consumers is the distortion and dishonesty from experts and the media on such practices, which scientists claim is grossly exaggerated. The latter suggest that the view of the public is founded on fear of the unknown, misinformation and ignorance. On a broader set of tensions, concerns arise regarding the shifting patterns of ownership and control in the food chain; issues of corporate responsibility and corporate closeness to governments; magnifying relationships of science and scientists in the interest of power and commerce acquisition. These and numerous non-scientific contingencies give rise to further scepticism and