Agri-biotech

Commercial and food crops are very susceptible to diseases and pests leading to an estimated loss of 50,000 crores annually, which is nearly 15 to 20% of output and a very significant wastage in a country like India. Chemical control of pests and diseases has been on an increase for several decades and this has grown to astronomical proportions during the past 15 years. It has been estimated that the per hectare consumption of pesticides was 0.29 Kg during 2016-17 all over India, amounting to a whopping >55,000 tonnes. This puts a very high financial burden on the farmers who are forced into the use of insecticides, fungicides and herbicides as the disease and pest infestation is on the increase.These, by nature, are recalcitrant and remain in their active form for a long time in the environment leading to increased resistance, causing not only devastating ecological impact but also a health hazard when consumed by humans and animals.

Integrated pest management using biological pest control by itself does not cope well with high rates of infestation. Therefore, a combination of engineered resistance in plants, combating the disease and pests actively, and a good management system is needed.

Plantibodies are antibodies produced by genetically modified crops. In practise, the use of transgenic plants for expression of antibodies for human and animal disease therapy and diagnosis is more common. The use of plantibodies to combat plant viruses and other pests has not been very successful though attempts have been made to genetically engineer plants to produce antibodies against plant viruses.Single domain antibodies against specific proteins of the infecting viruses or other pests can be helpful in actual field conditions and can reduce the burden of plant infections along with other pest control measures.

In addition, they can also be engineered for the controlled and targeted release of agrochemicals (such as fertilizers, insecticides, and herbicides). One interesting aspect is their use as sensors for the detection of harmful chemicals in the soil or changes in soil composition as ‘plant sensors’.