William C. Taylor Department of Genetics University of California Berkeley, California 94720 It is evident by now that there is a great deal of interest in exploiting the new technologies to genetically engineer new forms of plants. A purpose of this meeting is to assess the possibilities. The papers that follow are concerned with the analysis of single genes or small gene families. We will read about genes found within the nucleus, plastids, and bacteria which are responsible for agri culturally important traits. Given that these genes can be isolated by recombinant DNA techniques, there are two possible strategies for plant engineering. One involves isolating a gene from a cultivated plant, changing it in a specific way and then inserting it back into the same plant where it produces an altered gene product. An example might be changing the amino acid composition of a seed pro tein so as to make the seed a more efficient food source. A second strategy is to isolate a gene from one species and transfer it to another species where it produces a desirable feature. An example might be the transfer of a gene which encodes a more efficient pho tosynthetic enzyme from a wild relative into a cultivated species. There are three technical hurdles which must be overcome for either strategy to work. The gene of interest must be physically isolated.

In August. 1982. a conference was held at the University of Califor nia. Davis. to discuss both molecular and traditional approaches to plant genetic analysis and plant breeding. Papers presented at the meeting were published in Genetic Engineering of Plants: An Agricultural Perspective. A second conference. entitled "Tailoring Genes for Crop Improvement." spon sored by the UC-Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and the College's Biotechnology Program. was held at Davis in August. 1986. to discuss the notable advances that had been made during the intervening years in the technology for gene modification. transfer. and expression in plants. This volume contains papers that were presented at this meeting and provides readers with examples of how the new experimental strategies are being used to gain a clearer understanding of the biology of the plants we grow for food and fiber; it also discusses how molecular biology approaches are being used to introduce new genes into plants for plant breeding programs. We are grateful to the speakers for their excellent presentations for the conference and extend our sincere thanks to those who contributed manuscripts for this volume."