AGROVOC

A bacterium that causes hairy root disease in some plants. Similar to the crown gall disease caused by Agrobacterium tumefaciens, this is achieved by the mobilization of the bacterial Ri plasmid with the transfer to the plant of some of the genetic material from the plasmid. This process has been used to insert foreign genes into plant cells, but to a lesser extent than the Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation system, because regeneration of whole plants from hairy root cultures is problematical. (http://www.fao.org/biotech/biotech-glossary/en/)

A bacterium that causes crown gall disease in some plants. The bacterium characteristically infects a wound, and incorporates a segment of Ti plasmid DNA into the host genome. This DNA causes the host cell to grow into a tumour-like structure that synthesizes specific opines that only the pathogen can metabolize. This DNA-transfer mechanism is exploited in the genetic engineering of plants. See: T-DNA. (http://www.fao.org/biotech/biotech-glossary/en/)

Any acyclic or cyclic, saturated or unsaturated carbon compound, excluding aromatic compounds. (CHEBI, 2024. CHEBI:33653 - aliphatic compound https://www.ebi.ac.uk/chebi/searchId.do?chebiId=33653)

Allantoic acid is an organic compound with the chemical formula C4H8N4O4. It is a crystalline acid obtained by hydrolysis of allantoin. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allantoic_acid)

Allantoin is a chemical compound with formula C4H6N4O3. It is a diureide of glyoxylic acid. Allantoin is a major metabolic intermediate in most organisms including animals, plants and bacteria. It is produced from uric acid. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allantoin)

Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolution)

Auxotrophy is the inability of an organism to synthesize a particular organic compound required for its growth (as defined by IUPAC). (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auxotrophy)

Beet pulp is a byproduct from the processing of sugar beet which is used as fodder for horses and other livestock. Beet pulp is the fibrous material left over after the sugar is extracted from sugar beets. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beet_pulp)

Adult female sheep. (RAMIRAN Glossary of terms on livestock and manure management 2011)

The convoluted cordlike structure attached to the posterior of the testis. Epididymis consists of the head (caput), the body (corpus), and the tail (cauda). A network of ducts leaving the testis joins into a common epididymal tubule proper which provides the transport, storage, and maturation of spermatozoa.. (MeSH, 2024. Epididymis http://id.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/D004822)

A catalyst of natural origin, such as an enzyme, that can be utilized in the transformation of organic compounds. (Carreira, E.M. & Yamamoto, H.. (2012). Comprehensive Chirality. Glossary.)

biochemical engineering involves the application of chemical engineering principles to biological systems and the manufacture of biologically derived products in general. (Gummadi, Sathyanarayana. (2017). Fundamentals of Biological Sciences. 10.1016/B978-0-08-101096-9.00005-4.)

Biochemical reactions are fundamental processes that occur within living organisms, playing a crucial role in sustaining life and maintaining biological functions. These reactions involve the transformation of biomolecules—such as proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids, small molecules, and ions—through chemical interactions that take place within the cells and tissues of all living organisms. (Bilal, H., Shah, R.A., Ahmad, H. et al. An intelligent framework for modeling nonlinear irreversible biochemical reactions using artificial neural networks. Sci Rep 15, 28458 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-13146-5)

Conversion of one chemical into another by living organisms, as opposed to their conversion by isolated enzymes or fixed cells, or by chemical processes. (FAO Glossary of Biotechnology for Food and Agriculture, 2001)

Biodeterioration is defined as any undesirable change in the properties of a material caused by the action of biological agents such as fungi, beetle borers, termites, and marine borers, as well as by microorganisms. (Adapted from Jawaid, M., Thariq, M. and Saba, N. (eds) (2019) Durability and life prediction in biocomposites, fibre-reinforced composites and hybrid composites. Duxford, United Kingdom: Woodhead Publishing, an imprint of Elsevier.)