ABSTRACT
This chapter summarizes the advances in plant biology that have been made possible by particle bombardment. Particle bombardment will be helpful in several areas relating to plant pathology. Viral genomes can be introduced into plant cells by bombardment. It will be possible to transfer genes that confer resistance to viruses, insects, and herbicides into crops such as corn that have previously been difficult or impossible to transform. The genetic transformation of both indica and japonica rice cultivars has been achieved by DNA transfer to protoplasts. The ability to deliver DNA into intact tissues and then monitor its expression shortly after delivery has been applied as a tool in the study of gene regulation in plants. The concept of DNA transfer by particle bombardment centers upon the acceleration of DNA-bearing particles (also called microprojectiles or microcarriers) to velocities that permit their penetration and entry into intact cells.
