About Agricultural Science

The science behind the work performed by OSF is technically complicated. The agricultural sciences, as they relate to genomics, genetics, biotechnology and plant molecular breeding, are a rapidly expanding and a very dynamic field. This area is attracting bright new scientist as they seek to expand our knowledge in this life science field. We have accumulated various resource materials to further your knowledge in this area.

Agricultural Sciences and You
The rapidly-growing biotechnology sector has the potential to greatly enhance quality of life in terms of health, safety, the environment, food security, and social and economic development … » more

Genetically Modified Fruit
Conventional breeding of fruits has occurred for the past 1000 or more years. Genetically modified fruits have been bred, commercially produced and consumed for more than 10 years … » more

Precision Breeding
Precision breeding only transfers genetic material which would naturally cross with a particular plant. It uses genes which are already available to traditional plant breeders … » more

Genomic, Genetics and Breeding Definitions
Don't understand a term? Look through this alphabetical list for an explanation of specific genomics, genetics, agricultural biotechnology and molecular breeding terminology … » more

Plant Transformation Process
This flow chart explains how OSF puts fruit through the process of transformation an precision breeding to create a new tree fruit variety … » more

Why Do Apples Turn Brown?
Apples turn brown due to the phenolic compounds typically found in the fruit reacting with oxygen. This oxidation process is catalyzed by Polyphenol oxidase … » more