food production
crop plants
1) Describe how glasshouses and polythene tunnels can be used to increase the yield of certain crops
2) Understand the effects on crop yield of increased carbon dioxide and increased temperature in glasshouses
3) Understand how the use of fertiliser can increase crop yield
4) Understand the reasons for pest control and the advantages and disadvantages of using pesticides and biological control with crop plants
micro-organisms
5) Understand the role of yeast in the production of food including bread
6) Understand the role of bacteria (Lactobacillus) in the production of yoghurt
7) Understand the use of an industrial fermenter and explain the need to provide suitable conditions in the fermenter, including aseptic precautions, nutrients, optimum temperature and pH, oxygenation and agitation, for the growth of micro-organisms
* fish farming
8) Understand the methods used to farm large numbers of fish to provide a source of protein, including maintaining water quality, controlling intraspecific and interspecific predation, controlling disease, removing waste products, controlling the quality and frequency of feeding, and selective breeding
selective breeding
9) Understand how selective breeding can develop plants with desired characteristics
10) Understand how selective breeding can develop animals with desired characteristics
genetic modification
11) Understand how restriction enzymes are used to cut DNA at specific sites and ligase enzymes are used to join pieces of DNA together
12) Understand how plasmids and viruses can act as vectors, which take up pieces of DNA, and then insert this recombinant DNA into other cells
13) Understand how large amounts of human insulin can be manufactured from genetically modified bacteria that are grown in a fermenter
14) Understand how genetically modified plants can be used to improve food production
15) Understand that the term transgenic means the transfer of genetic material from one species to a different species
* cloning
16) Describe the process of micropropagation (tissue culture) in which explants are grown in vitro
17) Understand how micropropagation can be used to produce commercial quantities of genetically identical plants with desirable characteristics
18) Describe the stages in the production of cloned mammals involving the introduction of a diploid nucleus from a mature cell into an enucleated egg cell, illustrated by Dolly the sheep
19) Understand how cloned transgenic animals can be used to produce human proteins
