> That's pretty fast for traditional selective breeding techniques. I wouldn't be surprised those techniques have seen a lot of improvements in recent years to

> That's pretty fast for traditional selective breeding techniques. I wouldn't be surprised those techniques have seen a lot of improvements in recent years too. I mean, surely genetic engineering coming onto the scene doesn't mean everyone just dropped the other methods? There must be a lot of complementary techniques there - I'm sure a lot of modern advances in biology are helpful there as well. EDIT: Heh, I just got to the part of the article where it explicitly describes this: > Kernza’s DNA has never been genetically engineered; its genes get reshuffled via the scattering of pollen, from the male parts of flowers onto the feathery, sticky female parts. But advances in genomics—the -sequencing of DNA—over the last 15 years have made it far easier to tweak Kernza. Almost all of the grain’s genome has now been mapped. Once breeders have a genetic blueprint, they can track down the genes that control particular traits and select individuals with genetic stock that codes for, say, fat seeds or resistance to disease. I hope they're smart enough to keep some kind of "unselected seed bank" to keep a source of higher genetic diversity for quick adaptation.