Abstract
In addition to the classical breeding techniques used up to now to develop commercial maize hybrids, the use of biotechnological methods is gaining in importance. In Hungary, in addition to utilising currently available biotechnological tools, the aim is to make use of foreign results in developing Hungarian products. A new form of utilisation has now been conceived for the results achieved by American biotechnological companies, such as Monsanto and DOW: new genes are not only incorporated into their own products, but are also made available to rival companies and institutes. If these new biotechnological results are to be exploited in maize breeding, it will be necessary to create an infrastructure that allows these genes to be incorporated into local breeding stock at a high technological standard, without endangering the environment. In this way new inbred lines could be developed in far less time than using conventional methods. The competitiveness of such new hybrids would be greatly improved by the introduction of new, favourable agronomic traits, thus contributing to developments in Hungarian maize production.
Hungary