Thirty years of plant transformation technology development

Technology development is seminal to many aspects of basic and applied plant transgenic science. Through the development and commercialization of genetically modified crops, the evolution of plant transgenic technologies is also relevant to society as a whole. In this study, literature statistics were used to uncover trends in the development of these technologies. Publication volume and impact (citation) over the past 30 years were analysed with respect to economic zones, countries, species and DNA delivery method. This revealed that, following a dramatic expansion in the 1980s, publications focusing on the development of transgenic technology have been slowing down worldwide since the early mid-1990s, except in a few leading Asian countries. The implications of these trends on the future of plant transgenic science as a whole are discussed.