PP62-FrontMatter ARI 20 April 2011 14:6 by University of Bern on 08/19/13. For personal use only. Annu. Rev. Plant Biol. 2011.62:1-23. Downloaded from www.annualreviews.org PP62CH01-vanMontagu ARI 4 April 2011 16:10 It Is a Long Way to GM Agriculture Marc Van Montagu Institute of Plant Biotechnology for Developing Countries, Department of Plant Biotechnology and Genetics, Ghent University, Ghent 9000, Belgium; email:
[email protected] Annu. Rev. Plant Biol. 2011. 62:1–23 Keywords First published online as a Review in Advance on Agrobacterium, crown gall, Ti plasmid, T-DNA, opines, vir genes, February 11, 2011 T-DNA binary vector, plant genetic engineering, plant genetic The Annual Review of Plant Biology is online at modification, GM plants, GMO plant.annualreviews.org This article’s doi: Abstract 10.1146/annurev-arplant-042110-103906 When we discovered that crown gall induction on plants by Agrobac- Copyright c 2011 by Annual Reviews. terium tumefaciens is a natural event of genetic engineering, we were con- All rights reserved vinced that this was the dawn of a new era for plant science. Now, more 1543-5008/11/0602-0001$20.00 than 30 years later, I remain overawed by how far and how rapidly we by University of Bern on 08/19/13. For personal use only. progressed with our knowledge of the molecular basis of plant growth, development, stress resistance, flowering, and ecological adaptation, thanks to the gene engineering technology. I am impressed, but also Annu. Rev. Plant Biol. 2011.62:1-23. Downloaded from www.annualreviews.org frustrated by the difficulties of applying this knowledge to improve crops and globally develop a sustainable and improved high-yielding agricul- ture.