ABSTRACT
A whole range of very specific plant genetic modifications can be considered, with the use of methods that may someday generate a genetic diversity not naturally present in cultivated plants. Rapid progress in vector construction has outdistanced two other areas of research which are critical to plant genetic engineering successes. Initial transformation experiments will be carried out at the level of a single cell in culture, but relatively few agronomically significant crops can yet be regenerated routinely from cell culture. Success in plant genetic engineering will rely, to a great degree, on a thorough knowledge of the genetics and regulation of the traits to be transferred. Plant molecular biologists can be expected to follow the leadership of scientists working on the better developed animal and bacterial systems; however, recent excitement in plant research is certain to stimulate faster progress in plant genetic engineering.
