Agricultural Biotechnology

EB2016 Agricultural and Industrial Biotechnology

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Applications of Biotechnology for Developing Countries

 Agriculture produces crop residues and other biomass

that can be converted to added-value products
 Biotechnology makes use of ‘simple’ techniques, that can
be used in rural industries

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Biotechnology in Agriculture

Refers to The use of

living things knowledge to
formulate
tools, system
and techniques
for human
applications

“Any technique that uses living organisms or its

systems to make or modify products for specific
use.”

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Biotechnology in Agriculture

I. Biofertilizers
II. Biopesticides
III. Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

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Biofertilizers

i. Nitrogen-fixing organisms
ii. Green manures
iii. Manure, composts and bio-
earths
iv. Earth worm manure
v. Crop and agro-industrial
residues
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Nitrogen Cycle

 Organisms require nitrogen to produce amino acids,

and the nucleic acids that make up DNA and RNA

 Nitrogen makes up approximately 78% of the Earth’s

atmosphere, but most organisms cannot use
nitrogen in this form  the nitrogen must be ‘fixed’

 Nitrogen cycle produces the fixed form of nitrogen

that can be utilized by these organisms

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Forms of Nitrogen

Nitrogen gas (N2) Nitrate (NO3-)

Nitrite (NO2-) Ammonia (NH3) Ammonium (NH4+)

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Nitrogen Cycle

The nitrogen cycle

involves three
processes in addition to
nitrogen fixation:
1. Nitrification
2. Denitrification
3. Ammonification

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Nitrogen Cycle
1. Nitrification
 Aerobic soil bacteria use ammonium (NH4+) as an energy
source,oxidizing it to nitrite (NO2-) and then to nitrate
(NO3-)
 While plants can use NH4+ directly, the nitrifying
bacteria use most of the available NH4+ as an energy
source
 Plants assimilate this NO3- and convert it to organic
forms, such as amino acids and proteins
 Animals can only assimilate organic nitrogen from the
consumption of plants and other animals

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Nitrogen Cycle
2. Denitrification
 This process returns nitrogen to the atmosphere by
converting NO3- to N2
 Occurs when bacteria obtain the oxygen necessary for
their metabolism from NO3- rather than O2 under
anaerobic conditions
3. Ammonification
 The decomposition of organic nitrogen back into NH4+
 Carried out mainly by decomposer bacteria and fungi
 The process is important because it recycles large
amounts of nitrogen to the soil

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Nitrogen Fixation
 Reduction of atmospheric nitrogen (N2) to ammonia
(NH3)
 Mediated by nitrogenase enzyme found only in
prokaryotes, bacteria and blue-green algae
 Nitrogenase enzyme contains an atom of molybdenum
at its core that is crucial for the reaction
 Soils deficient in molybdenum cannot effectively
sustain nitrogen fixation
 Nitrogen-fixing microorganisms:
i. Symbiotic
ii. Non-symbiotic (free living)

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Nitrogenase

Nitrogenase enzyme in
nitrogen-fixing bacteria
drives nitrogen fixation
reaction with a large
quantity of ATP, and uses
a collection of metal ions,
including molybdenum
ion, in the reaction

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Nitrogen-Fixing Organisms

1. Symbiotic
2. Non-Symbiotic (Free living)

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Symbiotic N2 Fixers

 Rhizobium and
Bradyrhizobium
 Mutually beneficial
relationship
 Form nodules on the
roots of legumes
 Gram negative bacilli
(rod shape)

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Symbiotic N2 Fixers
 Symbiotic association between legumes and bacteria
(Rhizobium or Bradyrhizobium) living inside nodules
located on the plant roots
 With energy provided by
the plant, the bacteroid
(symbiotic form of the
bacterium) is able to fix
atmospheric nitrogen into
ammonium nitrogen that
can be assimilated by the
plant into amino acids to
produce proteins
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Function of Leghemoglobin
 Oxygen inhibits
nitrogenase 
Oxygen concentration
inside the nodule
must be closely
regulated
 This regulation is
aided by the presence
of leghemoglobin, an
oxygen-binding
protein similar to
hemoglobin

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Leghemoglobin

 Cross-section of soybean
nodules with differing
concentrations of
leghemoglobin
 Active nodule color can
range from blood red to a
very pale pink

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Cyanobacteria
 Cyanobacteria are involved
in several symbiotic
associations.
 E.g. Anabaena – a
cyanobacteria occurs in
symbiosis with small floating
fern Azolla
 Fixes atmospheric nitrogen
and make it available for its
symbiotic partner
 Heterocysts are the cells
that fix nitrogen
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Azolla (Aquatic Fern)
 Lives in symbiosis with
Anabaena species
 Anabaena fix nitrogen and
release nitrogen-rich
metabolites into the leaf
cavity of Azolla
 Azolla, uses the nitrogen
rich metabolites in
photosynthesis and
releases carbohydrates that
are absorbed by the
Anabaena
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Duck-Azolla-Rice Farming System

N2 N, P

NH3

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Duck-Azolla-Rice Farming System
A Japanese farmer, Dr. Furuno has been practicing rice and hybrid
duck culture. He tried his best not to use pesticide in rice
cultivation. This leads to difficulty in weeding. So?
 He introduced a hybrid duck in his rice farming primarily for
weeding purpose. The duck effectively made a weeding job by
disturbing soil surface
 Azolla was introduced to the system to provide nitrogen
nutrient for rice and protein for duck as well as contribute to the
suppression of weed
 Duck, eradicated Azolla’s insect pest, and spread the Azolla by
its movement. Excreta of ducks supply phosphorus to Azolla

This duck-Azolla-rice farming system is now being adopted by

organic farming farmers
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Nitrogen-Fixing Organisms

1. Symbiotic
2. Non-Symbiotic (Free living)

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Non-Symbiotic N2 Fixers
 Free- living organisms
 Must find their own energy source to convert nitrogen
gas from the atmosphere to ammonia

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Non-Symbiotic N2 Fixers
 Azotobacter
 Azospirillum
 Acetobacter
 Azoarcus
 Cyanobacteria

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Biofertilizers

i. Nitrogen-fixing organisms
ii. Green manures
iii. Manure, composts and bio-earths
iv. Earth worm manure
v. Crop and agro-industrial residues

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Green Manure
 Green manure is a type of
cover crop grown
primarily to add nutrients
and organic matter to the
soil
 Used to complement
animal manure
 The crop is grown for a
specific period (e.g. till
before they flower), and
then plowed under and
incorporated into the soil
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Multiple Functions of Green Manure
i. Leguminous green manures contain nitrogen-fixing
symbiotic bacteria in root nodules that fix atmospheric
nitrogen in a form that can be used by plants
ii. Green manures increase the percentage of organic
matter (biomass) in the soil, thereby improving water
retention, aeration, and other soil characteristics

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Multiple Functions of Green Manure
iii. Root system of some green manures grow deep in the
soil and bring up nutrient resources unavailable to
shallower-rooted crops
iv. Prevention of
soil erosion
v. Weed control

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Multiple Functions of Green Manure
vi. Some green manure crops, when allowed to flower,
provide forage for pollinating insects

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Legumes as Green Manure

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Legumes as Green Manure

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Legumes as Green Manure

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Legumes as Green Manure

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Legumes as Green Manure

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Legumes as Green Manure

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