Transformation technology

Progress in plant genetic engineering has been spectacular since the recovery of the first transformed plants in the early 1980s. Molecular techniques have now been applied to an array of species, resulting in the generation of numerous transgenic plants. These plants were initially transformed with marker genes, but subsequently with commercially important genes including those enabling agronomic improvement, easier processing and alternative uses. Two key factors were responsible for this rapid progress: the development of sophisticated methods to recover intact plants, either from fully dedifferentiated tissues or, more importantly, from organized tissues that are easy to regenerate; and the refinement of methods for the introduction of exogenous DNA into a wide range of plants. Here, this gene transfer technology is assessed for a variety of important crop plants.