Читать книгу Principles of Plant Genetics and Breeding - George Acquaah - Страница 80

The advent of the recombinant DNA technology in 1985 revolutionized the field of biology and enabled researchers to directly manipulate an organism directly at the DNA level. The most astonishing capacity of this technology is the ability of researchers to move DNA around without regard to genetic boundaries. Simply put, DNA (or gene) from an animal may be transferred into a plant. The DNA technology also allows researchers to isolate and clone genes and pieces of DNA for various purposes. This precise gene transfer is advantageous in plant improvement. Mutagenesis can now be targeted and precise instead of random as in the use of mutagens in conventional applications.

A new category of cultivars, genetically modified (GM) cultivars, have been developed using recombinant DNA technology. DNA technologies and techniques are exploding at a terrific rate, with new ones being regularly added while existing ones are refined and made more efficient and cost effective. One of the most useful applications of DNA technology in plant breeding is in molecular markers.