The review summarizes both biological and non-biological transformation methods that enable the precise introduction of beneficial genes into plants. It also outlines recent breakthroughs that improve transformation efficiency and broaden the range of transformable crops, providing new tools for developing high-yield, climate-resilient, and disease-resistant crops to support global food security.
Plant genetic transformation has become a cornerstone of modern plant biotechnology. Since the first successful introduction of foreign DNA into plants in the early 1980s, scientists have developed diverse techniques to integrate target genes into plant genomes. Early breakthroughs using Agrobacterium-mediated transformation showed that bacterial vectors could efficiently deliver genetic material into plant cells, enabling stable transgenic plant regeneration. Over time, additional approaches—including virus-mediated delivery, particle bombardment, microinjection, polyethylene glycol–mediated transfer, and nanomaterial-based systems—have expanded transformation capabilities across many plant species. Despite these advances, high transformation efficiency remains difficult to achieve due to genotype dependence, regeneration barriers, and technical limitations. Consequently, researchers are increasingly focused on improving transformation efficiency and developing new technologies to accelerate crop improvement and functional genomics research.
A study (DOI: 10.48130/abd-0025-0013) published in Agrobiodiversity on 20 January 2026 by Yang Li’s team, Biorun Biosciences Co. Ltd., highlights the evolution, mechanisms, and applications of plant genetic transformation technologies, emphasizing emerging strategies that improve transformation efficiency and broaden their use in crop genetic improvement.
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