One of the relatively new technologies today is the biotechnology. Biotechnology can be defined as a type of technology that is mainly focused upon putting the living organisms or the living environment to use in order to obtain new products or to derive new services. Biotechnology has been adapted as an integral field of technology and engineering from the time it was discovered. With the use of biotechnology, the human life, plant life and animal lives have seen an enormous change.
Not only biotechnology, but there are various tools of the same which have been put to good use by various scientists. However, if we talk about the effects implemented by biotechnology, there are surely many positive ones. But some of the aspects of this technology have been seen to lay serious negative effects on the environment and lives.
The positive and negative effects of biotechnology have been mentioned as follows.
Positive effects of Biotechnology
Here are some of the positive effects that biotechnology has had on us:
- Elimination of pesticides: The one very most important aspect of growing plants is the use of pesticides and chemicals. These chemicals are used over the growing plants in order to keep them away from any kind of damage that may be caused by pests of insects. However, such pesticides affect the quality of the plants and are really harmful to use. But with the introduction of biotechnology, the use of such pesticides and chemicals have been eliminated. With this technology, plants are now grown in a new alternative way where they can combat the insects and pests on their own. Thus, this brings out a healthier way of growing plants without the use of any harmful elements.
- Improvement in taste: This new technology has successfully added to the taste and made it better in the case of fruits and vegetables.
- Helpful diagnosis of plants and animals: Before the incoming of biotechnology, there was no way to check the amount of pesticides in plants or animals. With the help of biotechnology, we now have various diagnostic kits through which we can check the level of such chemicals. These diagnoses give the most accurate results and help us to record the growth rate of these plants and animals too.
- Keeping away the pests: The use of biotechnology has successfully caused the plants to be more resistant to the pests and all other viruses that can infect it.
- Cure to diseases: In the case of plants and animals, Biotechnology has been known to provide great solutions to various diseases which are very easy to implement.
- Quality of fruits: With the use of Biotechnology, fruits and vegetables have seen a raise in quality, both in terms of taste and healthiness.
- Dairy products: Biotechnology has also raised the quality level of various dairy products.
- Use of Enzymes: Biotechnology has led to the introduction of enzymes which are well known to prevent and process food in a better way.
Negative effects of biotechnology
Here are some negative effects of biotechnology:
- Expensive: Biotechnology is surely a good technology but implementing it is very expensive. An important part of biotechnology is genetic engineering which is very costly. Transferring genes and processing them calls for a lot of extra expenditure.
- Time-consuming: Biotechnology works with experimentation which is liable to take a lot of time to deliver results. Even if it does, there is always some percentage of chance of getting the targeted result.
- Depletion or originality: Biotechnology has caused a lot of modifications in the natural structure of plants. This has largely affected their originality and for the other species as well.
- Negative effect on biodiversity: The balance of the ecosystem has been altered as a result of biotechnology.
- Effects on soil: The use of biotechnology to inject self-resisting mechanism for the pests affects the soil quality and its fertility rate.
- Negative impact on animals: Since the crops are being modified genetically, some animals and insects that depend on it have been seen to get seriously negative impacts.
- Allergies: Biotechnology has developed many modifications that are not suited to some plants and animals, therefore, giving rise to certain kind of allergies in humans and animals.
Biotechnology has helped a lot in evolving the plant and animals’ life on earth. It seems to have many positive effects along with many negative ones too which cannot be ignored. It is a good technology which if used in control can bring out many solutions to crop problems and growing of plants.