What are the three options to increase food production? Discuss each giving the salient features, merits and demerits.

Explanation

Mutation breeding, tissue culture and rDNA technique, are going to play a pivotal role in enhancing food production, Salient features of mutations
1) Mutation is a phenomenon which results in alteration of genes (= DNA sequence).
2) It results in changes in the genotype and the phenotype of an organism.
3) In addition to recombination, mutation is another phenomenon that leads to variation in DNA.
4) The process of breeding by artificially inducing mutations using .chemicals or radiations.
5) Breeding for diseaseresistance is carried out by mutation breeding,
Merits:
1) Mutation generates a large amount of variability in a population.
2) Plant breeder can select the desirable types.
3) Improved varieties of crop plants with desirable characters can be obtained after careful selection & hybridization.
Demerits:
1) It results in changes in the genetic makeup which could be lethal and results in the death of an individual.
Tissue culture :
1) Tissue culture is a technique of regeneration of a whole plant from any part of a plant by growing it on culture medium under aseptic conditions.
2) The capacity.of a cell explant to grow into whole plant is called totipotency.
3) Explant is the part of plant taken for tissue culture?
4) The method of growing or producing-thousands of plants through tissué culture is called micropropagation:
5) The plants produced from tissue culture are genetically identical to the original plant from which they are grown, so they are called somaclones."
Merits :
1) More number of plants can be produced in a short time.
2) Disease free plants can be developed from diséased plant..
3) Seedless plants can be multiplied.
Demerits :
1). No new combinations of traits. 2) All the plants that are produced have the same genetic material. So they are equally vulnerable to environmental factors, infections and pests. r DNA technology: 1) Genetic engineering is a laboratory technique of gene manipulation which brings about novelcombination of genes.
2) Recombinant DNA technology enables us to isolate a.gene of interest in an organism which can be inserted into a vector and make it express its native characteristics.
Merits :
1) r DNA technologies will play a key role in preventing.genetic diseases.
2) It produces targeted medicines (like insulin for diabetic. patients).
3) It will also impart agriculture to resists disease.
Demerits:
1.) Genetically modified plants spreading beyond control and driving out local species.
2) Expensive lab facilities.
3) Maintaining sterile environment.