American Crop Protection Association Plant Biotechnology and How it Works Plant biotechnology involves the application of genetic engineering, molecular biology and other advanced scientific techniques to develop food and fiber crops with enhanced beneficial traits, such as resistance to destructive insects and diseases, and production of more healthful oils. Using these new tools, plant breeders identify, select and move genes with beneficial traits from one plant to another in a process that is faster, more efficient and more precise than traditional techniques, such as cross breeding. This method mixes thousands of genes carried in pollen of a plant, such as corn, to isolate a desirable trait or traits. It takes years to complete and does not always result in a variety with the yield, quality traits and other characteristics sought by the breeder.
Biotechnology is a quantum leap in selective breeding and crop improvement.
Once isolated, the gene is modified in the laboratory to deliver desired traits. The isolated gene is transferred into plant cells via a process which shoots tiny gene-carrying beads directly into the plant cell or one in which tiny fibers are used to push the gene into plant cells.