genetically engineered bacteria can be used to promote the health of plants. for example, bacteria that normally live on plants and encourage the formation of ice crystals have been changed from frost-plus to frost-minus bacteria.Field test showed that these genetically engineered bacteria protect the vegetative parts of plants from frost damage. Also, a bacterium that normally colonizes the root of corn plants has now has been endowed with genes (from another bacterium) that code for an insect toxin. The toxin is expected to protect the roots from insects.
many other genetic engineering applications are thought to be possible in agriculture for example rhizobium is a bacterium that lives in nodules on the roots of leguminous plants, such as bean plants, here the bacteria fix atmospheric nitrogen into form that can be used by plant. it might be possible to genetically engineer bacteria and non leguminous plants, such as corn, rice and wheat, so that bacteria can infect them and produce nodules .this would reduce the amount of fertilizers needed on agricultural fields.
No comments:
Post a Comment