Gene transfer: A tool for the functional analysis of the rice genome

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) has the dual status of being a model grass species and the main cereal for human consumption. Elucidating the function of genes underlying agronomic traits in the first model crop will contribute to hastening plant breeding not only in rice but also in other cereals. Gene transfer is a tool that has the potential to accelerate both discovery and innovation. The first transgenic rice plant was produced in 1988, and the technologies have since then improved towards more efficiency and precision. We here present the main milestones in the evolution of the technologies and their applications for the functional analysis of rice genes. In particular, we show the prospects opened by on-going technological breakthroughs that include the targeted modification of genomes without integration of superfluous DNA.