81010GV

surprising to note that the cootrtbution to the [Link] form prcduce is ooly
25 per cent. i.e .. the prcductiVity per [Link] is very low. Hence. in .addition
to oonvenlio!ul practices ot mirml bleeding mel t:!Ie. nev.l3r technologies
also have to be applied to achieve imprmemmt in quolity and pro:lucti<tty.

9.1.1 Management of Farms and Farm Animals

A professiOnal approach to what have been traditional practices of form
man>gement gives the nruch neered boost to our food produ c\ioo. Let us
discuss sorre of the ~ement procedures. empioyect in "'nousanimo.l
form systems.

9. J. J. J DeWy FOTm [Link]

Dairying is the manogerrent of [Link] fOr milk and its products fi:Jr
human cooswnptioo. can gou list the Mima!s that gou wocdd expect
to fond. in o. [Link]? INI\at are different l<:ind.s of products that Cat\ be
mo.d.e with mJ>:.from o. [Link]? In dairy farm man>gerrent. "" deo.l
with processes and systems that increase Joield and improve [Link] of
milk. Milk yield is prim3I'ily dependent oo the quolity of breeds in the
form Selection of good breeds ha>~ng high yieldingpotentio.l (under the
climatic conditions of the .area). combined V>litll. resistmce to diseases is
very important. For the yield potentio.l to be [Link] the ca\Ue have to be
welllcoked after- \hey have to be housed well. should have ..[Link]
water .and be maintained disease free. The feeding of cattle should. be
carried. out in .a scientific [Link]- V>lith special emphasis on tll.e quality
andquantityof foctrer. Besides. stringent cleanliness and hygiene (both
of the cattle and the h=dlers) are [Link] importance while milking.
storage and transport of the milk and its products. Nowadays. of course.
much. of [Link] processes hale becorre [Link]. which reduces ch3nce
of direct [Link] the produce with the handler. Ensunng these stringent
[Link] [Link] course. require regular inspections. witll. proper record
keeping. It would [Link] help to identify and rectify the problems as early
as posSible. Regular Visits bY a veterinary doctor would be mandatory.
You [Link] probably find it interesting if you ""re to prepare a
ques\[Link] en diverse aspects ci dairy keeping and then fOllow it up With
a >!sit to [Link] and seek ansv."rs to the questions.

9. J. J .2 Poullry Farm [Link]

Poultry is the class of cbrres\icated fowl (birds) used for fi:Jod or fOr their
eggs. They typicolly inclure chicl<en and ducks. and sorre\irres turkey and
geese. The [Link] poultry is often usedtorefertothe [Link] oolythese bil:ds.
but in a !lDie general sense it may refer to the rreat ci other birds too.
As in dairy [Link],g. selection of disease tree .and suitable breeds.
proper and sore form conditions. proper feed and water. and hygiene and
[Link] care are important components of poultry farm man>gerrent.
STRATEGIES FOR ENBANCEMENT IN FOOD PRODUCTION

You may have seen TV news or read newspaper-

reports about the 'birdflu virus' which created a scare in
the country and drastically affected egg and chicken
consumption. Find out more about it and discuss whether
the panic reaction was just!fied. How can we prevent the
spread of the flu in case some chicken are infected?

9.1.2 Animal Breeding

Breeding of animals is an important aspect of animal
(a)
husbandry. Animal breeding aims at increasing the yield
of animals and improving the desirable qualities of the
produce. For what kind of characters would we breed
animals? Would the selection of characters differ with
the choice of animals?
What do we understand by the term 'breed'? A group
ofanimals related by descent and similar in most characters
like general appearance, features, size, configuration, etc.,
are said to belong to a breed. Find out the names of some
common breeds of cattle and poultry in the farms of your
area.
When breeding is between animals of the same breed it (b)
is called inbreeding, while crosses between different breeds Figure 9.1 Improved breed of
are called outbreeding. cattle and chicken s
Inbreeding : Inbreeding refers to the mating of more (a) Jersey (b) Leghorn

closely related individuals within the same breed for 4-

6 generations. The breeding strategy is as follows- superior males and
superior females of the same breed are identified and mated in pairs.
The progeny obtained from such matings are evaluated and superior
males and females among them are identified for further mating. A
superior female, in the case of cattle, is the cow or buffalo that produces
more milk per lactation. On the other hand, a superior male is the bull,
which gives rise to superior progeny as compared to those of other
males.
Try to recollect the homozygous purelines developed by Mendel as
discussed in Chapter 5. A similar strategy is used for developing purelines
in cattle as was used in case of peas. Inbreeding increases homozygosity.
Thus inbreeding is necessary ifwe want to evolve a pureline in any animal.
Inbreeding exposes hannful recessive genes that are eliminated by selection.
It also helps in accumulation of superior genes and elimina tion of less
desirable genes. Therefore, this approach, where there is selection at each
ste p , increases the productivity of inbred population. However, continued
inbreeding, especially close inbreeding, usually reduces fertility and even
productivity. This is called inbreeding depression. Whenever this becomes
a problem, selected animals of the breeding population should be mated
with unrelated superior animals of the same breed. This usually helps
restore fertilily andyield.
Out-breeding: Out-breeding is the breeding of the unrelated animals,
which may be between individuals of the same breed (but having no
common ancestors), or between different breeds (cross-breeding) or
different species (inter-specific hybridisation).
Out-crossing: This is the practice of mating of animals within the same
breed, but having no common ancestors on either side of their pedigree
up to 4-6 generations. The offspring of such a mating is known as an
out-cross. It is the best breeding method for animals that are
below average in productivily in milk production, growth rate in beef
cattle, etc. A single outcross often helps to overcome inbreeding
depression.
Cross-breeding: In this method, superior males of one breed are mated
with superior females of another breed. Cross-breeding allows the
desirable qualities of two different breeds to be combined. The progeny
hybrid animals m<oy themselves be used for commercial production.
Alternatively, they may be subjected to some form of inbreeding and
selection to develop new stable breeds that may be superior to the existing
breeds. Many new animal breeds have been developed try this approach.
H(SardaLe is a new breed of sheep developed in Punjab try crossing
Bikaneri ewes and Marino rams.
Interspecific hybridisation: In this method, male and female animals
of two different species are mated. In some cases, the progeey m<oy combine
desirable features of both the parents, and may be of considerable
economic value, e.g., the mule (Figure 9.2). Do you know what cross
teads to the product(On of the [Link]?
Controlled breeding experiments are carried out using artificial
insemination. The semen is collected from the male that
is chosen as a parent and injected into the reproductive
tract of the selected female try the breeder. The semen
m<oy be used immediately or can be frozen and used at a
later date. It can also be transported in a frozen form to
where the female is housed. In this way desirable matings
are carried. Artificial insemination helps us overcome
several problems of normal matings. Can you d(Scuss
and tist som.e of them.?
Often, the success rate of crossing mature male and
female animals is fairly low even though artificial
insemination is carried out. To improve chances of
successful production of eybrids, other means are also used. Multiple
Ovulation Embryo Transfer Technology (MOET) is one such
programme for herd improvement. In this method, a cow is administered
hormones, with FSH-like activily, to induce follicular maturation and super
ovulation- instead of one egg, which they normally yield per cycle, they
~UATEGI~ f()t CtiHA!!('~)J,f!iT II! FOOO HOOOC'TIO!!

prcduce 6-8 eggs. The onima1 is either mated with"" elite bull or orti1ieiolly
inseminated. The fertilised eggs at 8-32 cells stages. are recovered. non-
sur~t:!lly mel tnnsfened to surrogate rrothers. The genetic rrother is
avo;)able fOr another round of superovulation. This technology has been
clmunstrated fOr cattle, sheep. rabbits. [Link]. mares. etc. High milk-
yielding breeds of femoles and high quality (le3Jl rreat with less lipid)
rreat-J-ielding bulls have been bred successfully to increase herd SiZe in
a short tirre.

9.1. a Bce-lceeping
Bee-keeping or apiculture is tll.e maintenance of hives of hone}'bees for
the prcduclionof honey. It has been an [Link] rottoge industry. Honey
is a fixd. of high nutritile value and. also finds use in llie indigenous
systems ofrredieine. Hone)'bee 3lsoprcduces beeswax. which finds many
uses in [Link]. such as in llie preparation of cosmetics and. polishes of
variOus kinds. The increased demand of honey has led to Jarge-sc3le bee-
keeping practices: it has becorre an established. income generating
industry. whellier practiced on a small or on a large scale.
Bee-keeping can be practiced. in any area where lliere are suffiCient
tee pastures of sorre wild. shrubs. fruit orchards and. cultivated. crops.
There are sever3.1 speCies of honeybees which can be reared Of these, the
nDst common species is Ap:.s [Link]. BEehiles can be kept in one>s
oourtyarct. on the \erandah of the house or even on the roof. Bee-keeping
is not [Link]-intenSile.
Bee-keeping though relati\ely easy does require sorre speCialised
knowledge and there are several organisations that teach bee-keeping.
The fOllowing pOints are important fOr successful bee-keeping:
(i) Knowledge of the nature and habits of bees.
(il) Selection of suitable location fOr keeping the beehi\es.
(iii) C..tchingandhiVingof swarms (group of bees).
(i\j Managerrent of beehives during different seasons. and
(\j Handilngand oolleclioncthoneyandofbeesw.>,. Bees are thepdlinators
ct manyof our crop speCies (see chapter 2) such as sunfbv.,r. Bro.s..:oo.
appleard pear. Keeping beehives in crop 6elds duringflov.»ringpenod
increases pollination ef!iciency and improves the J-ield-bene1ici3.1 both
frcm the pOint of w.w of crop J-ield and honey yield.

9. 1.4 ii'ishcri5
Fishery is an industryde\Oled to the catching procesSing or sellingctfish,
shellfish or other aquatic animals. A large number of our population is
deperdent en fish, fish prcdu cts and other aquatic onimals such as prawn.
[Link]>le C!'ster. etc.. fbrfo::OO. Sorreofthe freshwater fishes which
are 'erycu&n&u& include Cotla. Rl>hu..[Link]&n&u& carp. Sorre c1. tl1e [Link]
fishes [Link] are eaten inclure - Hilsa.. Sardines. Mackerel and. Pom1iets .
.R.n.d. out uXvJI.fl3v!s crre comm::>nlg [Link] ifl goW" area..

r
 81010GV

Fisheries ru.s on impor\ont place in lndion econcmy. It provides incorre

ond employrrent to millions of fisherrren and fanrers. porticu!Mly in the
coasUI states. Forrnan:y. itis the oniJI sounB of their livelihood. In order
to rreet llie [Link] ctenwlds on fisheries. different techniques [Link]
been emplo)ed to in crease prcducticn. For example. through aquaculture
[Link] pisCiculture we have been [Link] [Link] llie prcduction of .aquatic
plants and onimals. both fresh-water and marine. Find. out the differerv::e
be!ween p<sc<[Link] [Link]. aquocul.!ure. This ru.s led to the [Link]
ond Oourtshing of the fishery industry. and it ru.s brought a lot of inrome
to the [Link] in porticular and the country in [Link]. We now Wk. about
'Blue Revolution' as being implerrented olong the sarre lines as 'Green
Rerolution•.

9.2 PlANT BnBl':DING

Traditionol falllling can only yield a limited biOmass. as b:d fbr humans
[Link] [Link]. Better m:[Link] [Link] .mct [Link] in [Link] can
increase yield. but only to alimited.,<tent. Plant breeding as a technology
ru.s helped increase yields to a \erylarge "'<tent. Who in India ru.s not
heard of Green Rewlutlon which wa.s responsible fbr our country to
not rrerely rreet the nationol requirerrents in fOOd prcduction but olso
helped. us elen to e:...:port it? Green revolution [Link] [Link]
extent on plant breeding techniques fbrd.e,eloprrent of high-yieldingond
[Link] reSisl3nt [Link] in whea.t. nee. maiZe. etc.

9.2.1 Whnt is Plan£ Breeding?

Plant breeding is the purposeful manipulation ci plant species in orcter to
create desired plant types that are better sUited fbr cultiO>.tion, g;ve better
yields and are disease reSistont. Cbnventionol plant breeding ru.s been
practicedfor\housonds of )ears. since the be~ of hurnon ci\ilisation:
recorded e\.ldence of plant breeding dates back to 9, 000- 11.000 years .go.
Many present-day crops are the result of dorresticaticn in oncient tirres.
Today. oll our major fOcd crops are c\eri\ed from dorresticated vorteties.
ClasSicol plant breeding in\Olves crosSing or h)-bl!disation of pure lines.
[Link] by artifieiol selection toptt:duceplont.s With desirable tr>itsofhi@er
yield. nutrttion .mct reSisl3nce [Link]. Willi .actvmcems:nts in genetics.
rrolecular biOlogy and \issue culture. plant breeding is now increasin&ly
being earned out byuSingrrolecu!M [Link] tools.
If we '-l.'ere to list llie traits or [Link] tl13.t llie breeders have trted to
[Link] into crop [Link]. the first we would. list would. be [Link].
crop yield ond imprmed quolity. Increased toleronce toenVironmenW
stresses ([Link] temperatures. drou8)lt). reSistonce topa\[Link]
(Viruses. fungi and bacteria) and increased toleronceto insect pests 100Uld
be on our list too.
 Plant breeding pn:~= s are earned out in a syslemaUc ...y
worldwide-tn~[Link] andcat•t:e c:ial COI:q)anies. The
~n steps in lreednga new genetic variety a a crop [Link] -
(i) Coll<etion qf variability: Genetic ""rtability is lhe reo\ at any
treec:llngp rogram~re. In many crops pre .eXisting geneuc variability
is [Link] from Wild relaU\es at the crop. COllecticn and preservalion
ot alllhecutrerent wild vorieties. species and. relatives ot the cu!Uvated
species (foUoiM9d by their evalualion far llieir characlertslics) is a
pre-requisite lbr effeclive exploitation ot nat urol sones [Link] in
lhe JX)[Link]. The entire collection (ot plants/seeds) ha~ ng all
lhe cli\erse alleles far all genes in a g;ven crop is called germplasm
collectlcm.
(U) Evaluation and sel<etion qfparents: The gennpb sm is evaluated
so as to [Link] [Link] with resirable rombinalion of character>.
The selected [Link] are r=lliplled and used in the process of
~ncballcn. Purellnes are created where\[Link] anctpassillle.

[jti)O'ass [Link]>ddisation amo119 the sei<CtM parents: The desired

characters ha"' \efl'ctlen to be ca•lbulledfran twodftlorent [Link]
(parento). roc exaJr4>le high protein qualltyci one parent may need
to be cCillbined With eli sease resistance from another parent. 11lis is
possible by cross h)'btidising the t"'"' parents to p![Link] hybrids
that genetically combine the desired characters inane plant. This is
a very time-consuming and tedious process since the pollen
gt"all'lS from the desirable [Link] chosen as male parent have to be
collected and. placed on the sti§na of the flowers selected as female
parent On chapter 2 details on how to mak.e crosses have been
cbscnbect). Also. ilisnol necessary that the hybrids cb combine the
cbOirable character>: usually only one in few hundred to a thousand
crosses shows the deSirable combination.
(iv) Selection and testi119 qf superior r...,..ml>[Link]: 11lis step
consists of selecting. among the progeny of the hybrids. those pbnls
that have there Sired character carnbinalion. The selecUOn pmoes sis
crucial to the success of the breeding objeCtive and requires careful
scienWic [Link] ct the ~l'· 11lis slep J'ields plants that are
supenoc to boUJ ct the parents c-y ctlen m:re than me supenoc
progeny plant may bea:me available). These are [Link]-polllnated roc
[Link] raUmsUlllhey reachastalectunilormity~tr<~.
so that \he character> Will not segregate in llie progeny.
M Test:ill9, relro..se and """"""'"cialisation qf new cultiuotS: The
newly selected lines are evaluated lbr their yield and other ~c
trails of quality. disease resistance. etc. This [Link]\lon ls cbne by
~ingthese in the research fields [Link] ance
under 1de3l fertiliser .application irrigation. ~nd other crop
manasorrent practices. The evalualion in research fields is k>ll01M9d
 by testing the materials in fanners' fields, for at least three @"owing
seasons at several locations in the cotu1try. representing all the
[Link] zones M'lere the crop is usually groM1. The material is
evaluated in comparison to the best available local crop cultivar -a
check or reference cultivar.
India is mainly an agricultural C)Untry. Agriculture accounts
for approximately 33 per cent of India's GDP and employs nearly
62 per cent of the population. Mer India's independence, one of the main
chall•ngesfacing the country was that of producing enough food for the
in. creasing population. A:s [Link] limited lan.d i.s fit for cultivation., b'[Link] ha.s
to strive to increase yields per unit area from. existing farm land. The
development of several high yielding varieties of wheat and rice in the
mid- 1960s, as a result of various plant breeding teclmi ques led to dramatic
increase in food production in our cotu1try. This phase is often referred
to as the Green Revolution. Figure 9.3 represents some Indian hybrid
crope ofhighyeildingvarieties.

(a) (b)

(c)

Figure 9.3 Sorre lndlan h:ybnd crops: (o) Malze; (b) Wheat: (c) Garden peas
~UATEGI~ f()t CtiHA!!C'W,E!iT II! FOOO HOOOC'TIO!!

Wheat and Rice: Dunng the peried 1960 to 2000. wheat prcduction
increased from II million tones to 75 millicn tonnes while rice prcduction
lllffit up from 35 milliOn [Link] to m.5 milliOn [Link]. This was due to the
re\eloprrent of semi-dwarf VM'ieties of wheat and rice. Nobel laureate
Nortn3Jl E. Borlaug. at International Centre fi:Jr Wheat and MaiZe
lmprmerrent in Mexico. deleloped semi-dworf wheat. In 1963, several
oone\ies such as SonaWo:[Link] Kal(jon Sono.. which were high y;elding and
disease resistmt. TA'ere intrcduced all G'ef tl1e wheat-~ belt of [Link].
Semi-dworl nee vorte\ies""re derived frcm IR-8. (developed at lntema\icnal
Rice Research Institute PRRIJ. Philippines) and TOichung Natile-1 (from
T&wan). The derivatives,.,re inllt:duced in 1966. Later better -y;elding semi-
dworl vone\ies JO([Link] Rotna. ""redeveloped in India.
Sugar cane: Sao:i\aru.m barben: was Originally grown in north India, but
had poor sugar content and yielcl. Tropical canes grown in south India
Srood\aru.m [Link] had thicker stems and higher sugar content but
did not grow TA'ell in north India. These two species TA'ere successfully
crossed to get [Link] cane varieties combining the resirable qualities of
high yield. thick stems. high sugar and ability to grow in the sugar cane
areas of north India.
~unets Hybrid mo;ze, jowar and bajra have been successfullydeveloped

in India. Hybnd breeding have led to the development of several high

yielding varieties resistant to water stress.

9. 2. 2 Pl<mt Brcedi11g for Disease R.,;istance

A wide range of fungal. bacterial and wal pathogens. o!fect the yield of
cultivated crop species. especially in tropical climates. Crop losses can
often be s;gru1icant,up to 20-30 per cent. or sorrelirreseven [Link] this
Situation. breeding and development of cultivars resistmt to disease
enhances fixd. prcduction. This also helps reduce llie dependence on
use of fun~Cides andbacteriOcides. ReSistance of the host plant is the
ability to prevent the pathogen from cauSing disease and is determined
by the genetic constitution of the host plan\. Before breeding is
Wld.er1.3ken. it is imp01'[Link] to know atout the causatile organism and
llie ~of transmission. Serre [Link] caused byftmgi are rusts.
e.g.. brown rust of wheat. red rot of sugarcane and late blight of potato:
by bacteria-black rot of crucifers: and by VirUses-tobacco nusaic.
turnip nusaic. etc.
Methods of breeding for disease resistance: Breeding is carried
out by the conventional breeding techniques (described earlier) or by
mAt<>. \ion breeding. The convention<).! method of breeding fi:Jr disease
resistmce is that of [Link] and selection. It's steps are essentially
identical to those for breeding fi:Jr any other ~omic characters such
as high yield. The variOUs sequential steps are: screentnggermplasm

r
for reSistance sout'ces~ hybndisation of selected. parents. selection md.
ev3luation of tll.e hybrids and testing and. release of new vM'ieties.
Some crop v~rieties bred bJI hJibridis~\ion md selectiOn. for
disease resistmce to fungi. bacteria and Viral diseases are released.
(T~ble 9.1).

Table 9.1

Crop [Link]¥

Whe«t Hrn9 01 Leer/ «nd satpe rust.· hcU bunt

BrnssCc« fUs« s w«mCm

(KQ.r«n ro.c)

~~.dtflO())er fUs« Shubhm, Bt«ck rd. cmd Curl

f\c.s« SnO())b«d K-l b!<$ht block ret

CO())pe« fUs« Kom«t Bocteno! b~sht

i .Chd!< fUs« S.:td«b«h«r Chdty mOS«(C l.(NS,

Tobttooo mos«Cc l.(rus
«nd Leqf rurl.
!.......................................................
O:>menlicml breeding is often oonstromed by the a"'il3bilityof limited
number of disease resistmce genes tllat are present and identified. in
vM'iOus crop vM'ieties or V>lild. relatives. Inducing mutations in pl3nts
[Link] di\erse rreans and. then screening tll.e pl3nt materials fbr
reSistmce sorrelirres leads to resirable genes being identified. Plants
hal-Ing these desirable characters can then be either [Link] directly
or can be used in breeding. Other breeding rre\hcds that are used are
selection omongst somaclonal [Link] and genetic engineering.
[Link] is tll.e process by which genetic vM'iations are created.
through chang.s in the base sequence within genes (see Chapter 5)
resulting in Ue creation c1. a new character or trait not bU1d. in tll.e parental
[Link] is posSible to induce nrutations Mtifieiallythrough use ci chemicals
or radiations (like gornma radiations). and selecting and uSing the plants
tllat ha\e tll.e reSirable character as a source in breeding- [Link] process is
called mutatlon breeding. hl. mung tem. [Link] to }ellow nDsaic
Virus md. powdery mildew v>ere induced. by mutations.
Several Wild relati,es ofdifferent culti"'ted species of plants have been
shcNJn to ha\e [Link] resistant characters but ha\e very low yield.. Hence.
there is ~need to introduce the resistant genes into the high-Jiielding
cultivated. varieties. Resistance to yellow nDSaic Virus in [Link].
(Abelrnoscl'u.(.S esctden.W) was trmsferred. from. a V>lild. species md.
resulted. in a new vM'iety of A. esculentus called. POJJ:i\[Link]. >vane.:.
~HAtfGIPl POl [Link]'f.W:Nll!l fOOD UO DIIC110!1

All U>e ...,.,.,exa!l1'les in111Jlle l<lU.!teS a reSistance ~ne slhal are in

U>e oamo acp speCieS. -chhastobe bredfanl""""' resistance. orin a
related Wild spee;es. Transfer of resist.u\ee genes is aehialed b~ =ua!
hybriCUsaUcn bel....,en lhe target and lhe source plant followed by
.,lecucn.

9.2. 3 Plant Breeding for Developing [Link]

to Insect Pests
Another major cause for large scale destruction of crop plant a nd crop
pro:luce IS Insect and pestinfestaucn. Insect reSistance In host crop plants
maybe due to rnorphdqjicol. [Link] characler:isUcs.
Hatryleaves ln Se\lerol plants are assa:iatecl With re Sis~ nee to Insect pests.
e.g. "'Sislance tojassids In cotton and cereal leaf beetle In wheat. In wheat.
salld stems lead to non-preference by lhe stem sawfly and smooth lea ~ed
and nectar-less cotton vanetiesda not a\ttac\ bollworms. High aspartic
aCid. low nitrogen and ~ar content in maire leads to reSistance tomai2e
stem borers.
Bc-eecllngmelhods i:rinsectpeslreSiStancein- ..d\0 U>e oamo steps as
those far any eUler atrononiC trail such as )'ielcl or quail\!' and are as
[Link] .a.t:oYe. &Juroes of resistance ~nes may be [Link] [Link].
[Link] eollecucns oflhe crop or Wildreia\i..,s .
Samo released crop "'-rle\ies bred byhyt>r:idisa\icn and selectiOn. far
insect pest resistance Me gi'\en in Table 9 .2.

r.:c;o;··. . . . . . . . . . . Table 9.2

...........................
·················v~;·tY .. ...........1
······i;;·;·;;:··p~·;t;,···············

B~UCO« A)>h<d.
(~pf:SH<i m'-'stard)

f\($ « [Link] 2, Jc~.s.s<h. «ph~$ and

~«Sem3 jrv.J.t f>o,_r

si><>Oian« FMi~r

9.2. -l Plant Breeding for Improved Food Suallty

Mere than 840 milliOn people in lhe [Link]- have acl>quate food to
m!IOt lheirclally ftxx:l and nutn\icnol reqUirements . Afar pater number-
three billiOn people- suffer from micrcnu\r:ient . protetn and [Link]
cl>ficteneles or 'hidden hunger because lhey cannot afb"d to buy enough
[Link]. vegetables. legumes. fish and rreat. Diets laeklng essential
micrcnutrtent s- particularly ircn. Vitamin A. iCdine and zinc - Increase
the rtsk. for disease, reduce lifesp.m and reduce ment~ abilities.

r
 81010GV

Blofortl11caUon -breeding crops with higher levels of ViUunins ond

minerals. or higher protein md healthier fats -is the most practical rreons
to improve public heal lh.
Breeding for improved nutrtti0113.1 qwlity is unrertoken with the
objectives of improVing-
(i) Protein oontent•ndqU3lity;
(u) Oil content md qwlity;
(ill) Vitamin oontent; •nd
(i'-" Micronutrient .met miner~.l content.
In 2000. mo;ze hybridslhet had twice the orrountofthe •mlnO •eids,
lysine and. tryptophM. [Link]. to existing [Link] hybrids were
deleloped. Whe•t [Link]. Atlas 66, haVing • high protein content. has
been used •s • donor fbr improVing cui \i\Qted whe•t. It has been possible
to revelop on iron-fbr\i1ied rice \Qrtety containing over five \irres •s rruch
iron a.s in comi"''DD'lly consurrect vM'ieties.
The Indian J\8"icultural Research Institute. New Delhi has alsorele•sed
several vegetable crcps lhet are rich in Vitamins md minerals. e.g. Vitamin
A enriched carrots. spinach. pwnpkin; Vitamin C enriched bitter gourd.
botMu.a. rru stard. tomato; iron md calcium enriched spinach •nd [Link];
ond protein enriched bems-broad,lablab, French md go !den peas.

S.3 SINGLE: CEIL Pn<rr~W~ (SCP)

Conven\i0113.l agricultural production of cereals. pulses. vegetables. fruits.
etc .• may not be •ble to rreet the demand of food •t the r•te •t which
human mct•nimal population isincre•Sing The shifttromgrain torre•t
dietsalso creates rroredemandfor cerealsasit tokes 3-10 Kg of grain to
produce I Kg of meat by mimal [Link]. Con [Link] tlV.s statement
in the lJBht ofgour lmcw!edge offood chains? More lhen 25 per cent of
human population is suffering from hunger •nd malnutrition. One of the
[Link] sources of proteins fbr a.l'[Link]. hut'I'Wl nutrition is Stngie
cen Protein (SCP).
Microbes are teing grown on an [Link].r'i3l scale a.s source of good.
protein. Microbes like S)Xltdina. con be grown e•sily on materials like
w•ste water from potato processing plants (containlng starch). str•w.
[Link]. [Link] manure [Link]. even [Link]. to produce [Link] quantities
[Link] can sene a.s tixd. :rich in protein. [Link]. fats. [Link] and.
Vilamins. [Link] such [Link] [Link] reduces en\[Link]
pollution.
It has been calculated lhet • 250 Kg cow produces 200 got protein
per dsy. In the sarre periOd. 250gof • micro-organism like Metl'lg!opvb.t.s
metlvJ!o!Topw.s. bec•use of its high r•te of biOmass production ond
growth. con be expected to produce 25 tonnes of protein. The f•ct that
~[Link]\ fOl [Link]'f.H,fNT IN fOOD HODIPC'TION

mushro:msore eaten bymanypeopleondlarQ> scalemushro:m culture

is a !§OWing indusuy makes it belle""ble that microte s to:> would becorre
ac eeptable as toed

9. 4 Tlt'.'>!lE CtlLrunP.
As tr.>.dilianal b~ techniques faUedtolteep pace With demand and
to ptOI'ide sul!iciently fast and elrlclent syste,..,. foe crop illlprolellenL
another tec:llr>oqly caDecl tlssuecultute §XCIIM!loped Whatdces \issue
cullw-e mean? It was learnt by seienllsts. dW'ing 1950s. that whole
plants could be regenerated from [Link]&. Le.. any part of a plant taken
out and g,own in a test tube. under slerlle eancliUOns in speCial nult!en\
media. This capacity to !!6netate a whole plant fran any tell/explant iS
called totipotency. You wUI learn how to aceC>~q>lish this in highe<
classes. It is [Link] to stress here that the nutnent<redium must
pro~de a carton source such as sucmse and also inorganic [Link].
Vitamins. amino aCids and growth regulators like auXins. cytokinins
etc. By application of these rrelhodSillo pooSible to achieve propagation
of a large number of plants in vecy ohorl dura lions. This method of
producing thouSandS ofplantOthrough \i$$UO Culture iS c3lled mlcro-
propagatlon. Each of these plan\$ will be genetically identical to the
anginal plant from which they were (!OWn. I.e., they are somaclones.
Many important food plantollk.e tomato. banana. apple. etc .. have been
produced on comm;:rclal ocale uo1ng thiO rrethod. Tty to ~lsi\ a tissue
culture laboratory With your teacher to better understand and appreCiate
llie process.
Another important >ppllcalion of the rrelhod is the recovery of healthy
plants from diseased planto. Although the plant iS infected with a vtrus.
the mertstem (>pica! ondOX!llarJI) 10 tree of Virus. Hence. one can rell'DI/e
the menstem and grew it (n ouro to obtain [Link] plants. SCientists
h3~ succeeded in cullWing rrenstems ct banana. sugarcane. potato. etc.
Scientists h>ve even 10olatec1 single cells from plants and after
digesting their cell v.>alls have been able to isolate naked protoplas\s
(surrounded by plasma rrembranes). Isolated protoplas\s from two
different varieties of planto - each haVIng a desirable character- can be
fused to get hybrid protoplasto. which can be further grown to form a
new plant. These hybrids are called somatic hybrids while the proress
is called somatic [Link]. Ima~ne a situation when a protoplast
of tomato is fused with that of potato. and then they are grown - to form
new hJ'brid plants ccrrbininjl tomato and pc(ato charactenstics. Wlell
this has bee! achie<oed-resultlng ill i:lllnallellcttomato: unforttmateil'
this plantdidncl hare 311 the ell sired ccrrbinaUonof charac\ertslicsfcr
its conuterdal utilisation.
 SUMMARY
Anlrn>l h>.osbordry lS <he pract!oe of tak!ng CMe on<! ~ dornesUc
=>ls by applying s c - pr!reiples. The """'·lr«OOSU>g dem>nd
of fOod &om or4m>ls 3l"d <mlm>l products both ln terms of qu>lily ;mel
qu>nlity h>s been met by e>od = a t husbondry pracUces. These
practice; mclude (1) ~e:me:nt of Wm ~ £mn <lnim~s. .mel (u.)
~ breeding. In \.UM of the high nutrtU\e ~ue of [Link] ~ tts
medidnallmporton:>e. U-se has been • remo:rkable growth ln the pracUce
of bee-keeping or apiOU!twe. Fishery lS onother Oour!Shlng Industry
meetJng the "'er-lr«eosu>g dem>nd fOr Bsh. fish products =I oti-s
aqua11c fOods.
Plc:nt bree::lmg may be used to [Link] \'Miet1eS. which Me res:1sl.3nl
to polhogons =I to inSect pes!S. 1hls lnC<eosos the y1e1d of the fOod.
This meili:ld has ~ been used to inCrease the protein content of ilie
pl.,_ fOods ;mel U-seby onha=e the qU>lity of fOod. In lnd1>. s..oral
~of differe:nt. crop pbnts ha,e been prcduced. All iliese [Link]
~ ilie production of fOod. Thclmiques of tissue culture ~
[Link] [Link] offer V>St potonti>l fOr m>lUpulation of pl>n1s <n
l.(t'"o to produoe new wrte11es.

r···x
.t...... . . 'f""C'
-"<"\. IS
t..... . ,. ,. . S
~-
L... ~

1. E>::pl~ in brieftheroleof mmal hus~ry [Link] welfMe.

2. If:your [Link] a d3iry bnn. what me~ures would you wrle:rt..3ke
to improw the quality~ qwmtity of milk production?
3. What is [Link] by 1he term 'breed'? What Me the objecti\Oes of ~a!
breeding?
4. Name the r<IOthod semplojed in .mmal breeding. [Link] to you which
of the methods is best? Why?
5. What is apiculture? How is it import..3nt in our hws?
6. Discuss the role of fishery in ~me:nt of fOod production
7. BriE:Oydescribe vnious steps inwl"'ed in pl3nt breeding.
8. E~ what is [Link] by biofortification.
9. Which pMl of the pbnt is best suited fOr I'Mking \Oirus-free pW\ts ~
why?
10. What is the major ad"'~eof producingpl3nts by micropropagation?
II. Find out wh>.t tho o>:rious components of the medium used for
propagation of .em e¥-pbnt ch ~tro Me?
12. NMne .cmy Dw hybrid \OMieties ofcroppl3nf.s which haw been dewloped
in lrdia.
CHAPTER 10

MICROBES IN HUMAN WELFARE

10.1 Mtcrches [Link]::i

Proc::[Link]
10.2 Mtcrcbes inlndusOial BeSides macroscopic plants and animals. microbes are
Produ>ts the major components of biOlogical systems on this earth.
10.3 Mtcrches 0'\[Link] You have studied about the diversity of liVing orgoni sms
[Link]. in [Link] Xl. Do goct remember which K.:ngdoms [Link]'\9
the Uo.:n.9 or901\.:Sms contain. mv::ro-or9an..:sms? [Link]\ crre
10.4 Mtcrobes: [Link]::[Link]:n. of
[Link].s the ones that crreonlg mv::rosco'{Mf?Microbes .are present
everywhere -in sOil. [Link]• .air. inside ourbcdies .mct tllat
10.5 Mtcrobes as [Link]
ofother onirnals and plants. They ore presente,en at Sites
J!sents
where no ollierlife-fbrm could posSiblyeXist -sites such
10.6 Mtcrches [Link] as deep inside the geysers (thermal vents) where the
temperature may be as high as I oo•c. deep in the soil.
Wlderthe la)ers of sllO'.o selerol rretresthick. and in highly
.acidic enV'ironrrents. Microbes .are diVerse-protozo.a.
bacteria. f~ and microscopic plants Viruses. WOids and
also pnons that ore proteinaciOUs infectiOUs agents. Sorre
ofthemicrobesareshowninFigures 10.1 and 10.2.
Microbes like bacteria and many ftmgi can be grown
on nu tnti\e rredia to fOrm colonies (Figure I 0 .3). that can
be seen with the naked eyes. Such cultures are useful in
studies on mcro-org3Jl.i sm.s.

r
 BIOlOGY

(a)

(b)

(b)

(c)

(c)
Figure 10.1 Bacteria: (a) Rod -shaped,
magnified 1500X; (b) Spherical Figure 10.2 Viruses: (a) A ba cteriophage; (b)
shaped, magnified 1500X; (c) A rod- Adenovirus which causes respiratory
shaped bacterium showing flagella, infections; (c) Rod-shaped Tobacco
magnilled SO,OOOX Mosaic Virus (1MV). Magnified abou t
1,00,000-l,SO,OOOX

Fungal colony

(b)

Figure 10.3 (a) Colonies of bacteria growing in a petri dish;

(b) Fungal colon y growing in a petri dish
MICROifS IN HUMAN WHrARf

In chapter 8. you have <..acl that microbes cause a [Link] numter of

diseases inhuman being3. They also cause diseases inanirnalsan:l pWlts.
But this should nol make you thinldhat .n microbes are harmful; "'"'raJ
mierotes are useful toman1ncli110ne way>. Sorreofthem:>st inlpO!tant
ronlrtbuUons of miCIOOeo to human wellate are di seusse:! in this chapter.

10.1 MicRoBEs,; BoUSEROLI> Pnoouc-rs

You 1P>Ulcl be SW"ptlsed to - that we use microbes ac pmructs
clefi\ed from them e"'"'1'CCay. A ecmtrrlrl OXO.!rf>le is lbe ptocluctioo c1
c:[Link] from mlk.. Mlcro<trganl s-ms s-uch as l.4c:tohtM1lus and otbers
oonuu tly [Link].c:Uc add tacterta (LAD) p;awin mlk andccnvert it
to curc1. Durtng growth. the J.,o,B procluce acids that coagulate ancl
partially digest the milt prole!ns. A small am>un t of cun:l3dclecl to the
fresh milt as inoculum or starler ccnUln mllions of LAB. which at
suitable temperatures multiply. thus ccnverting milk to cum. which
also improl'es its nulrttional quality by increasing Vitamin B,..In our
stomach too. the J.,o,B play very benefic~! tole in checking disease-
causingmicrobes.
The clou@l. which is usecllormakingfoxls such as [Link] [Link]. is
also fermented bybaclerta. The put!ecl-up appearance of dough is due to
the ptoducUon of co. gas. CCXI\ go« ~U. wN.d>. metabolic patlwxuJ <s
tal<ing p.a.o. [Link] in 1;1\<: [Link]:m. qJ co,? wru,,. do go« tNnk tl'le
[Link] tl'leseJ•rm•[Link] cam•Jrom? Simi.l>rly the dough. which
is u sect for Jn.3king bre ad. is fermented using [Link]•s [Link]
(Saoo'taromgces cereO!~OA1) . A number of tradiUonal drinks and loods
are also made by ferrn>ntaUon by the microtes. 'ToddJf. a tr3clitional
drink of some ports of sou them India is made by fermenting sap from
palms. Microbes are also used to ferrn>nt fish. scyatean and bambco-
shcots to make loocls. Cheese. 1s one of the oldest lood items in which
microbes TNere used. [Link]'erent [Link] ot cheese are known by llieit'
charactensUc textu<e. flavour ancl tasle. the specifiCity cOming from the
microbes used For example. the IMge holes- in 'St:[Link] cheese• are due to
production of a large amount ot CO::~ by .a bacterium named
[Link]..-ili.m $1\am>:m«. The 'Roquefort cheese• are npene:! by
!tOWing a speCific tung; on them. which~"' s them a particul>r flavour.

1 0 .:! MicRoBES ll'l I NOUSTRI.'\1. PnoDt tc-n

Elen in inclustry. microbes a<e usecl to•ynthesiseanumtera products
11.>luable to human beings. Bever~• anc1 antibiOtics a<e sc:rre ~les.
FtoducUon oo an inclu•trtalscale. require> gtoloingmicrobes in ve<y la<ge
~essels called !ernlenlo15 (Fit-tre 10.4}.
 BIOLOGY

10.2 . 1 Fermented Beverages

Microbes especially yeas ts have been used from
time immemorial for the production of beverages
like wille, beer, whisky, brandy or rum. For this
purpose the same yeast Saccharomyces
cerevisiae used for bread-making and
commonly called brewer's yeast, is used for
fermenting malted cereals and fruit juices, to
produce ethanol. Do you recollect the metabolic
reactions, which result in the production of
ethanol by yeast? Depending on the type of the
Figure 10.4 Ferrnentors
raw material used for fermentation and the type
of processing (with or without distillation)
different types of alcoholic drinks are obtained.
Wine and beer are produced without distillation
whereas whisky, brandy and rum are produced
by distillation of the fermented broth. The
photograph of a fermentation plant is shown in
Figure 10. 5.

10.2 . 2 Antibiotics
Antibiotics produced by microbes are regarded
as one of the most significant discoveries of the
twentieth century and have greatly contributed
towards thewelfare ofthehumansocie1y. Antiis
a Greek word that means 'against', and biomeans
Figure 10.5 Fermentation Plant
1ife', together they mean 'against life' (in the
context of disease causing organisms); whereas with reference to human
beings, they are 'pro life' and not against. Antibiotics are chemical
substances, which are produced by some microbes and can kill or retard
the growth of other (disease-causing) microbes.
You are familiar with the commonly used antibiotic Penicillin. Do you
know that Penicillin was the first antibiotic to be discovered, and it was a
chance discovery? Alexander Fleming while working on Staphylococci
bacteria, once observed a mould growing in one of his [Link] culture
plates around which Staphylococci could not grow. He found out that it
was due to a chemical produced by the mould and he named it Penicillin
18-2 after the mould Penicillium notatum.. However, its full potential as an
effective antibiotic was established much later by Emest Chain and
Howard Florey. This antibiotic was extensively used to treat American
soldiers wounded in World War II. Fleming. Chain and Florey were awarded
the Nobel Prize in 1945, for this discovery.
MICROifS IN HUMAN WHrARf

After PenicUlin. other antibiotics were also purified from other

microbes. Can you n<:LI'1W .somf otl'Wr [Link]:es andftild out their
scwces? Antibiotics have greatl,y imp!OVOd our cap>. city to treat deadly
diseases such as plague. whcopif\<! c~ (lc<>U Jcl\m\s(), diphtheria (gat
~and leprooy (lcwlll r<>9. which used to kill millions all over the
globe. 1bday. we C<OMOt t~ne a world without antibiOtics.

10.2 .3 Chemical&, Enzymes and other Bioa ctiveMolecules

Microtles are al:» used fer camercial and industrtal production a
certain chemicalslll<e cr§[Link] adds. alCCihols anclenzy<res. [Link]>lesa
acid produ..,.. are Asptrgllb.<o n(Ejfr (a f~u$) a cilrtc acid. Ac«obacter
acell. (a [Link],q a ac:d.!c aCid: Cli>![Link] butglirum (a bactertu,q ct
butync acid and L<lct<>f><ro'llm(a bacterium) a lactic acid.
Yeast (Socdl<lro~ot• otr~!s usee! for a:mrrercial production
a ethanol. Microbes ate alsouseclfi:rproduclionofenzyrres. Upasesare
used in detergent fi:[Link] and are helpful in rermving Oily sUins
[Link]. You mustha~ noticed that [Link] bought
from the market are clearer as COI'l'pa<edtothose made at horre. This is
because the bottled juices are clarttled by the use ct pectinases and
proteases. streptokinase proeluced by tho bacterium sereptowc=and
m:ditied by genetic eng;neefif\<! is used as a 'clot buster' for rermving
clots from the blood vessels ct patients who have undergone myocardial
intra elion leading to he ort attack.
Mother bioacUve molecule. cyclosporin A. that is used as an
irll!rnnosuppressive agent in organ-transplant patients. is produced by
the f~u s [Link]>d<>rmo. po!!J•porvm. Statins produced by the yeast
[Link] pwpureus have been o:mmercialised as blood-cholesterol
lowe fir\<! ae>nts. It acts by cOI'l'pOtili~ly inhibiting the eru:Jme responSible
fi:r syntheSis ct cholesterol.

10.3 Ml<'.ROBES IN [Link] 1'RflATME:NT

W. [Link] that large quantities of waste water are generated everyday in

Cities and towns. Amajoc comp:::~nentotthis waste [Link].a.
This [Link] [Link] is also called sewage. It contains brge
amounts ct organsc matter and microbes. Manyot which are pathoe>nic.
Ha1e you [Link] wondered whore this huge quantity a sewage or urban
wasle walet' is d!spooedat dally? This cannot be dischareoct into natural
waler bocles likertven and streamsdirecUy-,I'OU can understand why.
Botredisposal. hence. -~is treated in sewaeo
treatrrent plants (S1Ps)
1D make il less polluUng. Treatment a waste water is dooe by lbe
 I I I ' '
I I I I I
I I I I I
I I I I I
I I I I I
I I I I I
', ~ " ! 'i !

BIO LOGY

heterotrophic microbes naturally present in

the sewage. This treatment is carried out in
two stages:
Primary treatment : These treatment
steps basically involve physical removal of
particles -large and small- from the sewage
through filtration and sedimentation. These
are removed in stages; initially, floating debris
is removed by sequential filtration. Then the
grit (soil and small pebbles) are removed by
sedimentation. All solids that settle form the
primary sludge, and the supernatant forms
the effluent. The effluent from the primary
Figure 10.6 SPconrlRry [Link]
settling tank is taken for secondary treatment.
Secondary treatment or Biological treatment : The primary
effluent is passed into large aeration tanks (Figure 10.6) where it is
constantly agitated mechanically and air is pumped into it. This allows
vigorous growth of useful aerobic microbes into floes (masses of
bacteria associated with fungal filaments to form mesh like
structures). While growing, these microbes consume the major part
of the organic matter in the effluent. This significantly reduces the
BOD (biochemical oxygen demand) of the effluent. BOD refers to
the amount of the oxygen that would be consumed if all the organic
matter in one liter of water were oxidised by bacteria. The sewage
water is treated till the BOD is reduced. The BOD test measures the
rate of uptake of oxygen by micro-organisms in a sample of water
and thus, indirectly, BOD is a measure of the organic matter present
in the water. The greater the BOD of waste water, more is its polluting
potential.
Once the BOD of s ewage or waste water is reduced significantly, the
effluent is then passed into a settling tank where the bacterial 'floes' are
allowed to sediment. This sediment is called activated sludge. A small
part of the activated sludge is pumped back into the aeration tank to
serve as the inoculum. The remaining major part of the sludge is pumped
into large tanks called anaerobic sludge digesters. Here, other kinds
of bacteria, which grow anaerobically, digest the bacteria and the fungi
in the sludge. During this digestion, bacteria produce a mixture of gases
such as methane, hydrogen sulphide and carbon dioxide. These gases
form biogas and can be used as source of energy as it is inflammable.
The effluent from the secondary treatment plant is generally released
into natural water bodies like rivers and streams. An aerial view of such
a plant is shown in Figure 10.7.
 You can a p preciate howmicrcbes playa major
role in treating millions of ga llons of waste water
erecyday across the globe . Thi s [Link]:lolqgy h as
been pra ctired for rrore than a rentury now, in
almost all parts of t he v.>:rld Till date, no man-
made t echnology has been able to rival the
microbial trea tment of sewage.
You are a wa re th at due to in crea s ing
urbanisa tion, sewa.~ is beingp roch>redin rrruch
large r quantities than eler before Howeler t he
n umber of sewage t reatrrent p lants h as not Figure 10.7 An aeri3l VieW of are~ pl3nt
increased enough to treat su ch large q uantities.
So the untreata::l sewage is oftendischatgeddirectly intorivers leading to
their pollution and increare in water -borne diseases .
The Ministry ofEnvironrren t and Forests has initiated Gonga .Actim
Plan a nd Yamuna Action Plan to sa ve these majo r rivers of our country
from pollution. Under these plans, it is pJ:OFOsed to build a l ar~ numbe r
of sewage trea trren t p lants so that onlytreated sewage may be dischar~d
in the firer s. A visit to a sewage treat mmt plant situa ted in any p lace
near )O U =uld be a vezy i ntere sting and ed ucating e:<perien ce.

l 0. 4 M l C [Link] IN P RODUCTION 0~' BIOO<IS

Bicgas is a mixture ofgases (containing predominantly rrethane) produ red
by the microbial activity and which may be u sed a s fuel. You have learnt
that microbe s p roch>ce different types of ga seous end-products during
growth and rretaboosm The type of the ga s produ ced depends upon the
microbes and the organic sub strates they utilise. In the e~les cited in
relation to [Link] tatian af dough. chee se making and production af
bevera ges. the main gas p rodu ced was CO• . However. rertain bacteria.
which grow anaerobically o n cellulosic material, p roch>ce large amount
of [Link] along with CO• a nd H0 • These bacteria are collectively ca lled
methanogens. and o ne such carnmon bacterium is Methonob actertton.
These ba cteria are corruronly found in the anaerobic sluclge during
se~ trea trren t. These ba cteria are also prese n t in the rumen (a part af
stomach) of cattle. A lot of rellulosic material present in the food of ca ttle
is al so p resent in t he rumen. In rurren. t hese bacteria help in t he
breakdown of rellulose and play an irq>ortant role in the nutrition af
cattle. Do gouc think w e, human b ein9s . are [Link] to digest the celluose
presen t in ourfoods"Thus, the ""creta klungl of cattle. cornrnonly called
9obcv, i s Iichin these [Link] can be usedb' generationofb iog>.s.
corruronly called 9obar 9a.s.
The b ioga s plant consists of a concrete tank (I 0 - 15 feet deep) in which
bio-wastes are collected a nd a slurry of dung is fed A floating ce~~er is
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BIOLOGY

placed over the slurry, which

keeps on rising as the gas is
produced in the tank due to the
microbial activity. The biogas
plant has an outlet, which is
connected to a pipe to supply
biogas to nearby houses. The
spent slurry is removed through
another outlet and may be used
as fertiliser. Cattle dung is
available in large quantities in
rural areas where catile are used
for a variety of purposes. So
biogas plants are more after
build in rural areas. The biogas
thus produced is used for
cooking and lighting. The
picture of a biogas plant is
shown in Figure 10.8. The
Figure 10.8 A typical biogas plant technology ofbiogas production
was developed in India mainly
due to the efforts of Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) and
Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC). Ifyour school is situated
in a village or near a village, it would be very interesting to enquire if there
are any biogas plants nearby. Visit the biogas plant and learn more about
it from the people who are actually managing it.

10.5 MICROBES AS BIOCONTROL AGENTS

Biocontrol refers to the use of biological methods for controlling plant

diseases and pests. In modern society, these problems have been tackled
increasingly by the use of chemicals- by use ofinsecticides and pesticides.
These ch emicals are toxic and extremely harmful, to human b eings and
animals alike, and have been polluting our environment (soil, ground
water), fruits, vegetables and crop plants. Our soil is also polluted through
our use ofweedicides to remove weeds.
Biological control of pests and diseases: In agriculture, there is a
method of controlling pests that relies on natural predation rather than
introduced chemicals. A key belief ofthe organic farmer is that biodiversity
furthers health. The more variety a landscape has, the more sustainable
it is. The organic farmer, ther efore, works to create a system wher e the
insects that are sometimes called pests are not eradicated, but instea d
are k ept at manageable levels by a complex system of checks and balances
within a living and vibrant ecosystem. Contrary to the 'conventional'
farming practices which often use chemical methods to kill both useful
MICitOSfS IN HUMAN WElFARE

ond ruumfullife forms indiscriminately. this is a holistic approach that

seeks to revelop on understanding of the webs of interaction between the
leylladof OQ!Misrns that constitute the field taun;aand Oora. The organic
[Link]'er holds llie \r1ew lli .at llie [Link].a tion of llie ere .atu res lli .at .are often
[Link]. .as pests iS not only possible. but .alsou [Link]. tbr '[Link]
them the beneficial predatory ond parasitic insects which depmd upon
lliem .as tixd. or hosts would. not be .able to survive. Thus. the use of
biocmtrol [Link] 'Nill greatly reduce cu.rrep3n:ience on [Link] chemicals
ond pestieires. An important part of the biologic~ falllling approach is
to becorre familiar willi llie vM'iOus life forms that inhabit llie field..
predators as well as pests. and also their life cycles. patterns of feeding
ond the habitats that they prefer. This Will help develop appropnaterreons
of biOoontrol.
The \eryfomiliarbeeUe with red ond black markings- the Lo.d)obird.
and. [Link] .are useful to get rid. of .aphids .and. mosquitoes.
respecti\ely. An example of microbial biOcontrd .agents [Link] can be
inlltxluced in orrer to control butterfly caterpillars is the bacteria Badllus
tluu(ng<Ens(S (often wntten as Bt). These ore [Link] in sachets as dried
spores which oremi:<ed With water ond sprayed onto wlnerable [Link]
such .as [Link] .and. fruit trees. where lliese are eaten by llie insect
larvae. In the gut of the larvae. the toXin is released ond the [Link].e get
killed The bacterial disease will kill the caterpillars. but lea\e other insects
unharrred. Because of the cl>\elopment of methods ofgenetic engmeenng
in llie last decade or so. llie scientists ha \e in trcdu ced B. tl'[Link]
to>.ln genes into [Link]. Such [Link] resistant to attack bJ'insect pests.
Bt-cotton is one such e:..:.ample. which is teing cultivated in some states
of our country. You '[Link] m:re .about lliis in chapter 12.
Abiological control being developed tor use in the treatment of [Link]
disease is llie ftmgus Trv::tvxlerma.. Trld\[Link]::[Link] .are tree-liVing
fungi that ore very common in the root ecosystems. They ore effective
biooontrol agents of several plont pathogens.
Baculo\.lruses ore pathogens that attack insects ondother arthropods.
The majority of baculo\.lruses used as biOlo~cal control agents ore in the
genus Nuclecpolgl"ledrooilu.s. These Viruses .are excellent [Link]..ates for
speCies-speCific. narrow spectrum insectiCidal .applications. They have
been shown to have no negati\e impacts on [Link]. mornma1 s. birds. fish
or even on non-target insects. This is [Link] when [Link]
insects .are being conserved. to .aid. in .an ov-erall integrated. pest
management PPM) progrornrre. or when an ecologically senSitive area is
being treated.

10.6 MI<'.RO:SE"<> .>~s BroFFJnzussas

Willi our present [Link] styles enVirOrU"[Link] pollution is .a major cause
of concern. Tile use of llie chemical fertilisers to n:eet llie ever -increaSing

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 SIOLO(;Y

[Link]. of [Link].l produce has contributed [Link] to

[Link] pollution. Of course. we ha\e now [Link] tllat lliere [Link] problems
associated with the overuse of chemical fertilisers and there is a
13rge pressure to sWitch to organic farming- to use of blofertlllseis.
Biofertilisers ore organisms that enrtch the nutrient quality of the sOil.
The [Link] sOW"'ces of [Link] [Link] [Link]. fungi .and [Link].
You have studied about the nodules on the roots of leguminOus pl3nts
fonred by the symbiOtic assoCiation of RNzoi:W.m. These bacteria fiX
[Link] intoorgmic forms. which is used by tile [Link] a.s
nutrient. Other bacteria can 6x atmospheric nitrogen while free-liVing in
the sOil (exomples Azosp;nJ,Ium and Azotobader). thus ennching the
nitrog.n content of the soil.
Fungi [Link] .also known to form symbiotic [Link] Willi [Link]
(mycorrhlxa). Many members of the genus [Link].s fOrm reycorrhiZa.
The [Link] symbiont in lliese [Link] [Link] phosphorus from
sOil .and [Link] it to the [Link]. [Link] haVing such [Link] show
[Link] [Link]. such a.s reSisl3nce to root-borne pa.~ns. tolermce
to salinity and drought. and an overall increase in pl3nt growth and
development. Can gou teU what adoantage the fungus derwes from
tl\i.s [Link]:Xt.:on?
[Link] .are autotrophic microbes Widely distributed in .aquatic
and terrestrial enVirOnrrents many of which can fiX atrrosphertc nitrog.n.
e.g. [Link]. Nostoc. Osd![Link].. etc. In paddy fields. cyanobacteria
sene as an imp:>rtant b:ic:tertillser. Blue ~n algae also add otganic matter
to tll.e [Link] [Link] its fertility. Currently. in our country. a. number
of biofertilisers [Link] [Link] cornrrerci3llyin tl1e market .md f3.m'ers use
[Link] [Link] in lliei:r fields to replenish soil nutrtents [Link]. to reduce
dependence on chemical fertilisers.

SUMl'llARY
MicroOOs Me a \OE:I'}' important. component of life on eMUl.. Not all
microbes Me pailioeamc. [Link] 1\"11crobes Me \~1'}' useful to [Link]
.>.· :•• beings. We use ro1crobes .mel 1\"11crob1ally dE:11.'e::l prcducts Mnost eway
day. Bacte:rta called lactic .zc:1d bacteria (LAB) grow tn. milk to com~rt tt
:. ~~> Into curd. The do"8h which lS used to m>l<e bread. lS ferment2d by
.. ·''·' .. ~called &cch«r«nyces [Link]«e. CE:[Link]. diSl':es such as cdtc and
-:~~-
dos«, Me [Link] from dough fermented by 1\"11crobes. Bacte:rta .mel fwlel
Me used to impart~ texture.~~ fl.a-.~r to cheese. M1cro00s
Me used to prcduoe mdustrtal products like lactic ac1d. acetic acid

.mel ~ which Me used 1n a ....mety of processes 1n Ul.e in:lustry.

Anl.lb1o11cs like 1"""4Clillns produce:! by uso!ut mierob.s oze used to kill
dise?se-caus:mg l'wrn fu1 microbes. AntJ.b1o11cs ha'~ pla}Ed a m~or role
ln c:onlrolllng lniEctio-u; dlse>SOS llke diphthen>. whoopu>g c:ovgh ond
MICitOSfS IN HUMAN WElFARE

[Link].a. For more ~ a h\U'dred ~· l\"'icrobes Me being used

to treo.\ '"'"13ge (woste water) by the pro::ess of 3Clivata:l slud@ fOrma\Dn
~ UUs helps 1n rec}cling of water 1n [Link]. Meth3noge:ns produoe
methane (b10g>s) whl!e degrading plant woste. 810g>s produced by
microbes 1S used~ a source of e:nerg}' 1n rural~. Microbes com also
be used to k:i.U 1\Mmful pests. a process called ~ biocontrol. 'nle
[Link] JWNSures help us to a'oid heavy use of toxiC ~ for
controllmg pests. 'nlere 1S a head need iliese days to push fOr use of
biofertilise:rs 1n p1aoe of chero1ca1 fertihse:rs. It 1S c1eM from Ule dtwase
uses human beings ru..., put mie<obes to \hoi. thoy play an u-nportant
role 1n the we1fMe of huJ'Mn soe1E:ly.

1. BaclE:rta ~t be seen mili the l"W<ed ~~ but [Link] com be seen

mili the help of a miCroscope. If }OU ha'~ to cary a sample from }OUI'
rome to your b1olog}o 13boratory to demonstrate the presen::e of m1Crobes
under a miCroscope. which sample would }OU CMTY ~why?

2. Gi'~ e:<Mnples to prO"o'e [Link] m1erobes r~ pses dUI'Ulg metabolism.

3. hl. which food would }OU Bnd lactic acid bac:terta? Mention some of
U:eir useful applications.
4. N3roe some tradiUoM lndt3n fOods made of wheat. riCe and Bengal
f}Mn (or U:eu prcducts) \l,hich UWol\~ use of microbes.
5. hl. which way ha'~ m1Crobes played a major role 1n. controllmg diseases
caused by hMmful [Link]?
6. N3roe my tw:~ spec1es of fwlgu;. which Me used 1n Ule production of
U:e .cmUb1oUcs.
7. 'Wh311S sew~ hl. \l,hich way com sew~e be hMrnful to us?
8. What 1S Ul.e key difference between primM}' ~ seconrhl'y sewage
treatment?
9. D:l }OU think mbrobes com~ be used~ source of energy? If }ES. hoW?
10. Microbes em be used to decrease the use of chern1cal fertilisers ~
~- E>cplom how thls can be accompllshed.
11. 'Three water sam p1es rwnely [Link] water. untreated sew~ water ~
secondMf eftlue:nt dischM~d from a sewage treatment pl<mt were
subjected to BOD test. The somples were labelled A. B =I C; but the
13boratory atlE:nd.3nt. dd not rote which was o;.o,hich, 'nle BOD ...atues
of the thra> samplEs A. B mel C "'""' re:orda:l as 20mg/l. Bmg/L 3lld
400mg/L. respecU,~ly. Which sMnple of Ul.e water 1S most polluted?
~ you .oss:1gn Ul.e correct label to each ~ U:e nve:r w31e:r 1S
retau..wy cteMP.

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 SIOLOGY

12. F1nd out ilie nMn.e of ilie miCrobes from which CyclosporUl. A (an
immunosuppressive drug'! ~ Statins (blood cholesterollowertng
~nls) ore ob1>1ned.
13. Flrd out. the roli of m>=bis In the Dl1omng =I dlsows1t Wilh )OUI" ""'*""·
(a) SU'81e oell protein (SCP)
(b) Sotl
14. Arr>n@ the f01low1ng ln the dec:<eos1ng order (most lr<lportont. Brst) of
ilieu' import..3nce. for the welfMe of human sOCiety. Give reasons fOr
your .cmswer.
add. Pen1dllin =I Cwd
BlOg>S. C1tr1C
15. How do btofertilise:rs e:n:rieh ilie fertility of the s01l?
 Ever since the days of Rene Descartes, t he French philosopher,
Chapter 11 mathematican and biologist of seventeenth century, all human
Biotechnology : Principles and knowledge especially natural sciences were directed to develop
Processes technologies which add to the creature comforts of human
lives, as also value to human life. The whole approach to
Chapter 12 understanding natural phenomena became anthropocentric.
Biotechnology and Its Physics and chemistry gave rise to engineering, technologies
Applications and industries which all worked for human comfort a nd welfare.
The major utility of the biological world is as a source of food.
Biotechnology, the twentieeth century off-shoot of modern
biology, changed our daily life as its products bro ught
qualitative improvement in health and food p roduction. The
basic principles underlying biotechnological processes and some
applications are highlighted and disc ussed in this unit.