Agricultural biotechnology stands as a crucial tool to boost food production in Venezuela, a country with a vast diversity of climates and production challenges.
This discipline integrates biology, genetics, and microbiology with engineering and technology to develop innovative solutions that improve crops, optimize agricultural processes, and ensure food security.
This involves the application of scientific and technological techniques, ranging from classical to modern (such as genetic engineering), to modify living organisms or parts of them, in order to obtain products or processes of interest in the agricultural sector.
The development of agricultural biotechnology in Venezuela is underway in institutions such as the Venezuelan Institute of Scientific Research (IVIC), the National Institute of Agricultural Research (INIA), and the Danac Foundation for Agricultural Research (Fundación Danac), among others.
From there they have concentrated their efforts in this field, relying on the central axis of biotechnological studies.
It has focused on the genetic improvement of strategic crops adapted to the different agroecological conditions of the country, with emphasis on resistance to pests and climate change.
Regarding maize (Zea mays), population genetics studies have been conducted to understand the diversity of Venezuelan maize. Breeding programs combine classical methods with biotechnological tools to develop high-yielding hybrids and varieties that are resistant to local diseases and more efficient in nutrient use.
For rice (Oryza sativa), programs such as the one implemented by the Danac Foundation have released varieties that incorporate resistance to key diseases like white leaf virus and tolerance to pests like the rice stem borer, using marker-assisted selection to accelerate the process. The genetic basis of the released cultivars has also been analyzed.
Cassava (Manihot esculenta) is of great importance for food security. Cassava has been the subject of tissue culture research for the rapid propagation of healthy material and the preservation of germplasm. The aim is to develop varieties with higher yields and greater tolerance to viral diseases that impact production.
Infrastructure and key projects
There are specialized laboratories such as the Plant Genetic Improvement Laboratory and the Agricultural Biotechnology Center at IVIC that promote research in genomics, proteomics, and the development of bio-inputs and biocontrol agents as an alternative to chemical pesticides.
In this sense, agricultural biotechnology in Venezuela seeks to guarantee food sovereignty and security through the development of a more productive, sustainable and resilient agriculture, taking advantage of science to adapt crops to local challenges.
Fundamental applications
It improves genetics because it is used to develop crop varieties with superior agronomic characteristics, such as higher yield, better nutritional quality, or greater tolerance.
Regarding resistance to biotic and abiotic stress, this focuses on creating crops immune to pests, diseases (biotic stress) and adverse environmental conditions such as drought, salinity or high temperatures (abiotic stress), common problems in the regions of Venezuela.
Diagnosis and control allows for the rapid and accurate detection of pathogens and pests in crops.
Production of bio-inputs includes the development of biofertilizers, biostimulants and biocontrol agents (beneficial microorganisms) that replace or complement synthetic agrochemicals, promoting more sustainable agriculture.
Regarding germplasm conservation, techniques such as tissue culture are used to preserve valuable genetic material from native or strategically important species, thus ensuring plant genetics.
Agricultural biotechnology employs a set of methods, ranging from the simplest and most traditional to the most modern techniques:
Tissue Culture and Micropropagation (Classical Biotechnology): It consists of cultivating plant fragments (cells, tissues, organs) in sterile nutrient media to obtain a large number of genetically identical plants in a short time.
In Venezuela, it is key for the rapid propagation of healthy and high-value plant material such as plantain, cassava or potato and for the conservation of germplasm in all sectors of agriculture.