GM maize from site-specific recombination technology, what next?

The term plant genetic engineering has long conveyed a highly efficient and precise process for the manipulation of plant genomes. For nearly two decades, research on recombinasebased applications has steadily advanced the surgical capabilities of plant genome rearrangements. Once considered interesting laboratory exercises, a first crop plant derived from this type of DNA acrobatics is heading to market. Originally configured for a specific application, to remove a selectable marker, it could be the first of more to come - and not just market-free plants.