The first is that the protection is essentially permanent, similar to that afforded animals by vaccines. The need for the use of chemicals to control insect vectors is also reduced. Other possible aspects of disease control in which biotechnology may play a role include the use of plant disease biocontrol fungi and the development of fungal resistance in plants. Plant disease biocontrol fungi are naturally occurring organisms that are antagonists for certain soil-borne plant pathogens. Biotechnology will play a role in better understanding the mechanisms for host specificity and virulence of these fungi and may lead to the production and formulation of control products.
Fungal resistance is an area of interest, but no great progress has been made yet.
Biotechnology will enhance our understanding of the mechanisms that control a plant's ability to recognize and defend itself against disease-causing fungi. Virus protection of plants is possible with new techniques. Although biotechnology efforts have focused primarily on pest management, there are other potential applications to crop production. The possibilities are highly varied, and new applications are developing so quickly that it is difficult to keep up with all of them. Here are a few examples of current biotechnology research on plants.