Biotechnology Provides NewTools for Plant Breeding资料.pdfVIP

AGRICULTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY IN CALIFORNIA SERIES Publication 8043 Biotechnology Provides New Tools for Plant Breeding TREVOR V. SUSLOW, Cooperative Extension Specialist, Department of Vegetable Crops, UC Davis; BRUCE R. THOMAS, Technical Director, Seed Biotechnology Center, UC Davis; KENT J. BRADFORD, Professor of Vegetable Crops and Director, Seed Biotechnology Center, UC Davis UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Division of Agriculture Biotechnology in its broadest sense refers to the use of living organisms or their com- and Natural Resources ponents to provide useful products. This definition can include activities as diverse as making wine, beer, or bread; composting organic materials; releasing parasitic wasps to control insect pests; breeding plants or animals; and producing crops and livestock. In fact, agriculture itself can be considered to be the original biological technology. With increasing knowledge of genetics, plant breeders in this century have accelerated the improvement of crops for enhanced yield and quality. New recombinant DNA techniques now allow the specific identification, isolation, and alteration of genes and their rein- troduction into living organisms to produce transgenic varieties. These new techniques are supplementing and extending traditional breeding methods to enhance the produc- tion of food, fiber, and other agricultural products. Farmers in the United States,