New technologies enable the introduction of new genes derived from unrelated species into plants. This has produced crops with novel properties, such as:
- Enhanced defense against pathogens
- Flowering patterns that are altered both in time and color
- Enhanced nutritional features reflecting changes in either protein or oil content
- Dramatic reduction in the generation time for certain woody species
- Modified tobacco plants that produce life-saving biochemical compounds
- Altered abidopsis plants, from the mustard family, that produce plastic
- Genetically modified plants that remove toxic compounds from the soil– this development has enormous potential for the bioremediation of toxic land sites