Biotechnology 101

A Beginner’s Guide to
Modern Agricultural Techniques

La Breza Hotel, Mother Ignacia Avenue,

Diliman, Quezon City
November 9, 2017

Maribel Zaporteza, PhD

PGC-Agriculture Program
BIOTECHNOLOGY

BIO + TECHNOLOGY
bios— for life, tekne– craft
logia-- study

1919 Karoly Ereky

conversion of raw material to a
more useful product

Mostly to describe the fermentation

process that happens during brewing
BIOTECHNOLOGY definition
(Wikipedia)

Any technological application that uses

biological systems, living organisms, or
derivatives thereof to to make or modify
processes or products for specific use

The use of living systems or organisms to

develop or make products
Products of BIOTECHNOLOGY

Fermentation products
 Products of BIOTECHNOLOGY

https://www.etsy.com/listing/160562506/vintage-
medical-doctor-glass-bottle-of
http://medimoon.com/wp-
http://www.mims.com/myanmar/drug/info/ content/uploads/2013/04/prod_erythromycin.jpg

aspilets-aspilets%20ec

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Epi-Pen_2016.jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Insulin_pen.
JPG
Medical applications
 Products of BIOTECHNOLOGY

http://us.shein.com/White-Cartoon-Print-
Drop-Shoulder-T-shirt-p-305766-cat-
1738.html

https://talulabellblog.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/dsc07805.jpg

• http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-
9vZN_Sr4sJE/Vniy565RnuI/AAAAAAABX-
w/85dnMv3Q6lY/s640/64th%252BAnnual%252BMiss%25
http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/sk-ii-lxp-
2BUniverse%252BPageant%252BTA3NiV8XFIBx.jpg
ultimate-revival-serum

And so much more…

Biotechnology is multidiciplinarian

Many different fields are involved including

• Microbiology
• Genetics
• Biochemistry
• Engineering
• Computer Science
• Medicine
• Agriculture
• Forestry
• Immunology
BIOTECHNOLOGY TIMELINE

Ancient Biotechnology
• Development of settled communities and the
start of domestication of crops and animals for
food

AGRICULTURE
PLANT AND ANIMAL BREEDING IS
BIOTECHNOLOGY
• The artificial selection of plants and animals
for food supply
 8,000-13,000
years ago
Pearl River
Valley China
https://upload.wikimedia.org/
wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/
e5/Oryza_rufipogon_-
_National_Taiwan_University_-
_DSC01108.JPG By IRRI Images - originally posted to Flickr as Korea_0001, CC BY 2.0,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11202446

Oryza rufipugon Oryza sativa

Olmec and
Mayans
2500 B.C
MezoAmerica
By John Doebley - http://teosinte.wisc.edu/images.html, CC BY 3.0,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3082050
 2000 BC
Southeast Asia

http://extension.psu.edu/animals/poultry/topics/general-
educational-material/the-chicken/history-of-the-
chicken/leadImage_galleryzoom

13000 years ago

10500 years ago Tigris Basin, Turkey
Turkey and Pakistan
 Conventional Biotechnology
Early fermentation products were usually discovered
by accident
Bread – wheat Tuba, Basi and Tapuy
Beer- barley
Wine -grapes
Cheese -milk

http://cdn.ancienthistorylists.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Fruits-in-ancient-Egypt.jpg
20th Century and Modern Biotechnology

1919 Karoly Ereky and biotechnology

1924 Alexander Fleming and penicillin
1941 Beadle and Tatum--one gene-one enzyme
1944 MacLeod, McCarty, Avery– DNA carries
genetic information
1953 James Watson, Francis Crick, Maurice Wilkins
and Rosalind Franklin- DNA Structure
1966 Cracking the genetic code-M. Nirenberg,
HG Khorana and R Holley
1973 Cohen and Boyer- Recombinant DNA
1983 Mullis and Polymerase Chain reaction
21st century and Modern Biotechnology

1982 Insulin was produced by genetically

modified bacteria
1985 DNA fingerprinting enters the courtroom
1986 First recombinant Vaccine Hepatitis B was
released
1987 Field trial for Genetically modified tomato
was approved
1994 FLAVR SAVR Tomato enters the market
1997 Dolly the cloned sheep
1990-2003 Human Genome Project
2006 Gardasil vaccine for HPV (cervical cancer)
2012 CRISPR Cas9 Genome editing
Figure 1: A timeline showing how human transportation systems have evolved.
A timeline showing how human transportation systems have evolved, from primitive, slow, and inefficient vehicles, to modern, faster, and
more efficient options. Corresponding advances in agricultural biotechnology are shown below, similarly illustrating how advances
changed our ability to develop new agricultural crops.
© 2012 Nature Education Courtesy of Ania M. Wieczorek and Mark G. Wright. All rights reserved.
Concept of a Gene
Elementen or a discrete hereditary
unit of a specific trait transmitted
in a stable manner across
generations.

Gregor Mendel
 1953

Deoxyribonucleic Acid

2003
James Watson and Francis Crick
GENES- the basic unit of
heredity, characteristics which
are inherited from parents

Deoxyribonucleic acid / DNA

-molecule that carries the genetic
information of an organism
 Gene Manipulation Starts
At the DNA Level

The nucleus

contains DNA

Source: Access Excellence

 AGRICULTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY
IN THE PHILIPPINES

https://plantbiotechrtu.files.wordpress.com/2010/
06/for-upload.jpg
By IRRI Images - originally posted to Flickr as Korea_0001, CC BY 2.0,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11202446

Marker Assisted Breeding

 MOLECULAR MARKERS

Traditional breeding involves the

artificial selection of individual plants
(parentals) based on visible desired
traits

By using modern biotechnology, the

DNA of selected crops can be studied
using molecular markers to select plants
that possess the desired trait, more
efficiently and precisely
MARKER ASSISTED BREEDING

http://www.ibmcp.upv.es/FGB/breeding/breeding.html
 GENETIC ENGINEERING

• Direct modification of an organism’s

genome by using biotechnology
• Recombinant DNA technology

GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISM

(GMO)/ TRANSGENICS
• Organisms produced by genetic
engineering
• GMO Bacteria, plants, fungi, mice, insect
etc..etc..
When do we use Genetic
engineering in crop improvement?

• Desired trait is not present in the

crop (e.g. pest resistance)

• Trait is very difficult to develop by

traditional breeding

• Time limitation
 SELECTIVE BREEDING VS GENETIC ENGINEERING

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/sites/default/files/field/image
By John Doebley - http://teosinte.wisc.edu/images.html, CC BY 3.0, /article/bt-vs-non-bt-corn_0.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3082050
From: Engineering with Precision: Tools for the New Generation of Transgenic Crops
BioScience. 2008;58(5):391-401. doi:10.1641/B580506
BioScience | © 2008 American Institute of Biological Sciences.
 Molecular Cloning

https://www.neb.com/products/restriction-endonucleases/restriction-endonucleases/restriction-
endonucleases-molecular-cloning-and-beyond
 Biolistic/ particle gun transformation

http://forages.oregonstate.edu/tallfescuemonograph/transgenesis/methods/biolistic
Agrobacterium mediated transformation

http://www.koreabreedjournal.org/journal/arti
cle.php?code=362

"Agrobacterium tumefaciens
Figure 3: The process of genetic
engineering in papaya.
The process of genetic engineering in
papaya. This is the first fruit tree ever
genetically engineered (for resistance
to a virus that kills papaya plants),
conducted by Land Grant Universities
(University of Hawaii and Cornell
University) in the USA, and licensed
to the Hawaii papaya industry for use
and distribution.
© 2012 Nature Education Reprinted
with permission: Land Grant
Universities (University of Hawaii and
Cornell University) All rights reserved.
BIOTECHNOLOGY IN THE PHILIPPINES

https://www.facebook.com/201047289932151/photos/882
407135129493/

National Academy of Science and Technology

Dr. Dolores Ramirez – Cytogenetics
Dr. Ramon Barba– Horticulture
Dr. Evelyn Mae Tecson Mendoza– Biochemistry
Dr. Pedro Escuro – Rice Breeder
BIOTECHNOLOGY REGULATIONS IN
THE PHILIPPINES

• the first ASEAN country to initiate a

biotechnology regulatory system (Executive
Order No. 430) 1990

• established the National Committee on

Biosafety of the Philippines (NCBP)

• follows strict scientific standards and has

become a model for member-countries of
the ASEAN seeking to become producers of
agricultural biotechnology crops
Status of GMO Crops in the Philippines

2002 First country in Asia to approve commercial

cultivation of a GM crop Bt corn

2016 Approved new set of rules and regulations

regarding the planting and importation permits of
GMO crops

70% of corn output is GMO

Many crops in the pipeline for GMO development

• Papaya with delayed ripening
• Rice resistant to bacterial blight
International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA)
Biotech Coalition of the Philippines
International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA)
Biotech Coalition of the Philippines
Illustration by O. Gildersleeve
Hall, 2016. Editing the mushroom. SciAm
Photo credits:

http://www.specialtyproduce.com/produce/White_Strawberries_9402.php
http://houzbuzz.com/square-watermelons-how-and-why/
ALL IMAGES R. JORGENSEN, UNIV. ARIZONA, TUCSON
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: FUNCT. PLANT BIOL.29, 1501–1506 (2002); PLANT J.13, 401–409
(1998); PLANT CELL2, 279–289 (1990)
http://www.greenprophet.com/2010/06/history-carrots/
http://www.marshalls-seeds.co.uk/elephant-garlic-cloves-pid2430.html
http://www.heirloomtomatoplants.com/yellow_gold%20and_orange_tomatoes.htm
Emiliano Zanecheli,Ho sempre desiderato essere una pera - Always wanted to be a pear
http://www.skymetweather.com/content/2013/11/weather-and-economy/is-bt-cotton-harming-our-
environment/attachment/cotton-33-new-2
http://allianceforscience.cornell.edu/sites/default/files/upload/22172931728_1223b8c407_k.jpg
http://www.bloomberg.com/image/izjU2tmgby3o.jpg
http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/seed/images/sunup_small.jpg
http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2013/03/06/goldricecompare-
f668436a741ae7bbe24086ae89860b3998bf38f-s800-c85.jpg
email:pgcagri.uplb@gmail.com