5 APPLICATIONS OF BIOLOGY IN AGRICULTURE - BIOLOGY - 2025

The multiple applications of biology in agriculture have substantially improved the production and distribution of food for human consumption. The domestication and cultivation of plants and animals began almost 10,000 years ago.

Since its inception, the goal of agriculture has been to satisfy the most basic human need: food.

Before the seventeenth century, very few recognized the practical applications of this study. Thanks to advances in science, especially in the field of biology, agricultural productivity has benefited profoundly.

You may also be interested in the applications of biology in everyday life.

The 5 main applications of biology in agriculture

1- Pest control

One of the primary applications of biology in agriculture is pest control. Biological knowledge has developed a method to suppress or control the population of undesirable insects, other animals or plants.

This is done by introducing, stimulating, or artificially augmenting their natural enemies to economically unimportant levels.

Among the mechanisms used, the natural ones stand out, such as predation, parasitism or herbivory.

In this way, the active manipulation of natural phenomena is placed at the service of human purpose. This allows you to work in harmony with nature.

2- Creation of plants resistant to pests

Another of the applications of biology in agriculture is the development of plant varieties resistant to pests.

Unwanted animals are a threat to agricultural crops around the world.

These significantly reduce the yield and affect almost all aspects of the plants.

Through conventional breeding, some crops resistant to insects have been created.

Recently there have been great advances in biotechnology. For example, it has increased the resistance to pests and diseases of crops through genetically modified plants, which implies the reduction of chemical control of pests.

3- Selective breeding to improve agricultural plants and animals

Since the 18th century, knowledge of biology has been used to make crosses of related species.

Selective breeding seeks to improve traits such as flavor, color, disease resistance, and productivity.

At the beginning of the 20th century, genetics began to be used to develop new varieties of plants and animals.

This has brought important changes in agriculture, especially in the productivity of some crops.

4- Understanding the effects of climate on crops

Biology helps to understand how climate changes affect crops. For example, temperature plays an important role in the different biological processes that are critical for plant development.

The optimum temperature varies for germination, growth and reproduction. These optimal temperatures must occur at certain times in the plant's life cycle; otherwise, plant growth and development may be affected.

5- Food preservation

Food preservation refers to the processes to stop food spoilage due to microbial action.

Lately, biological methods of food preservation have become increasingly important.

These consist of adding high purity, harmless microorganism cultures to food. Cultures have an inhibitory effect on undesirable spoilage microorganisms.

References

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3. New World Encyclopedia. (s / f). Biological pest control. Retrieved on December 12, 2017, from newworldencyclopedia.org
4. Karthikeyan, A.; Valarmathi, R.; Nandini S. and Nandhakumar, MR (2012). Genetically Modified Crops: Insect Resistance. Biotechnology, No. 11, pp. 119-126.
5. Rasmussen, WD et al. (2017, March 10) Origins of agriculture. Retrieved on December 12, 2017, from britannica.com
6. Karsten, H.; Vanek, S. and Zimmerer, K. (n / a). Direct Effects of Climate Change on Crops. Retrieved on December 12, 2017, from e-education.psu.edu
7. Lück, E. and Jager, M. (2012). Antimicrobial Food Additives: Characteristics, Uses, Effects. New York: Springer Science & Business Media.