Genetic Improvement

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Genetic improvement, or biotechnology, is becoming more of a viable tool used to develop better crop varieties that we grow to produce the food, fuel and fiber needs of our citizens.

In 2010, 91% of the corn acres and 94% of the soybean acres in Nebraska were planted with biotechnology derived varieties (USDA Report). These would include insect resistant, herbicide resistant and stacked GMO varieties. For more information on how these varieties are developed see Making a Genetically Engineered Crop.

Whether you are ....

  • a producer or crop consultant who needs to understand how to carefully manage these resistance traits for the long haul, or....
  • a seed salesperson with many biotech-derived varieties in your sales portfolio, or...
  • a science teacher looking for information on the applications of biotechnology, or...
  • someone interested in how biotechnology has/is being applied to meet todays needs in food, feed and fiber production...

..you will find the navigation links on this site helpful in increasing your knowledge and awareness of many aspects of biotechnology.

More Biotech Info

Contact Us

Leah Sandall
Assistant Professor of Practice
UNL Department of Agronomy and Horticulture
PLSH 279L
Lincoln NE 68583-0915
402-472-9295
lsandall5@unl.edu

Related Articles

Corn field under rain clouds
The Yuetter Institute report is the result of a large collaborative effort, which included high-level government officials from the current and previous presidential administrations, farmers, and academics and practitioners in plant genetics, agricultural sciences, economics and law. (Photo by Craig Chandler, University Communication and Marketing)

Yeutter Institute Offers Insights on Boosting Ag Biotech Innovation

October 18, 2023
Now a topic of ongoing deliberations in Washington D.C., a new Yeutter Institute report recommends streamlining redundant U.S. regulatory protocols for ag biotech, which can boost crop yields to meet the world’s growing food demand.

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Researchers examine dry bean field
In a dry edible bean plot at the UNL PREEC Mitchell Lab, Maria Alvarado, UNL graduate student, left, Kainyon Tay, head of the legume program in Chile, and Carlos Urrea, UNL dry bean breeder, look for desirable bean plants. (Photo by Chabella Guzman)

Bean Breeders Scout Fields for Desirable Bean Genetics

September 28, 2023
The best dry bean plants in the Nebraska Panhandle will soon be sent to researchers across the world as part of an ongoing international collaboration on cross-breeding. 

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Researchers sitting in bean field
Timothy Porch, research geneticist at USDA ARS, left, and Carlos Urrea, Nebraska Extension dry bean breeding specialist, scout a plot of dry beans. (Photo by Chelsea Didinger)

Dry Bean Breeders Collaborate on Climate-savvy Bean

September 19, 2023
Researchers at UNL and USDA ARS in Puerto Rico are collaborating on the development of new drought-tolerance dry bean lines using plant genes from tepary beans, a crop native to the southwest U.S. and Mexico.

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Schnable on RFD-TV segment

Schnable Highlights Advances of International Corn Genetics Research

July 14, 2023
James Schnable, UNL agronomy professor, discusses the long-term agricultural impacts of a recent international research collaboration that successfully identified the complete set of genetic components for corn.

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Nebraska to Host Cellular and Molecular Biology of the Soybean Conference

July 13, 2023
Industry experts from organizations across the U.S. are set to present their research insights on advancements in soybean genetics during the Aug. 10-13 conference.

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