Improved Agronomic and Quality Traits in Transgenic Crops: Recent Advances

The potential for genetic engineering of plants to produce new and useful traits in crops has now been confirmed. Although numerous examples exist in the literature of agronomically important traits, the examples of quality improvements are rare but increasing. This article describes several new agronomic and quality traits produced at the Monsanto Plant Science Division. Tomatoes have been produced that have reduced ethylene levels which result in delayed fruit ripening. Delayed ripening contributes to an extended shelf life of the tomatoes. Higher starch potatoes add value both by the increased yield of starch and by decreasing oil absorption during frying. Cotton that expresses the Bacillus thuringiensis gene controls lepidopteran insect feeding damage as effectively as chemical insecticides. These genetically improved plants are valuable additions to modern agriculture and represent clear demonstrations of the types of improvements that are likely in the future.