This review surveys the most important and promising contributions of agric
ultural biotechnology to the development of sustainable, environment-friend
ly agriculture. It deals with the recent achievements of genetic technology
for the development of new transgenic microbial, plant and animal products
. It also deals with the newest developments and perspectives of microbial
intervention in agricultural practices, such as biofertilizers, biocontrol
agents, and various microbiological products used in modern agriculture. Th
e review surveys the outlook for a waste-free, environment-friendly sustain
able agricultural practice, including waste management, recycling and biore
mediation technologies. The review lists the most important marketable agro
biotechnological products, and their present and projected sales volume. (C
) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.