Abstract
Plant transformation techniques were first developed as analytical tools of basic research on the regulational mechanism of gene expression and gene function. Presently, they are also used as applied tools to develop valuable crops. Practical methods for plant transformation to date include Agrobacterium mediated, electroporation, and particle gun methods, all of which have positive and negative attributes. Most of the GMO developed so far (the first generation of GMO) have such features as improved productivity or environmental and grower-friendly advantages, so that they are beneficial mainly to growers. It is, however, predicted that the second generation of GMO is likely to be placed at the center of future development of GMO. These are more related to consumers’ interests, which include benefits in health promotion and palatability for developed countries and nutritiousness and peroral immunization (vaccine) functions for developing countries.
