A short history of plant transformation

Abstract

The 1977 discovery that Agrobacterium tumefaciens inserts a specific piece of DNA into the plant cell genome triggered a race towards the first transgenic plant. Three groups were initially involved in the race, a fourth group entered later on. This race ended in 1983 with four labs publishing their own transgenic plant cell lines. This scientific breakthrough triggered the plant-biotechnology industry, and advanced the field of plant science like hardly any other. Who won the race? Here’s 'A Short History of Plant Transformation'.