Portable gene gun structure

The structure of the portable gene gun is very similar to that of a general military gun. The fixed closed magazine of the gun has a special metal plate with a micro hole. The gene gun uses gunpowder to propel a plastic projectile containing tungsten particles containing genetic material (exogenous "target genes").

The metal plate in the magazine prevents the plastic part of the projectile from entering, but the particles with the foreign gene can pass through the micropores and enter the plant tissue or cells that are close to the metal plate. The tungsten particles have a diameter of one thousandth of a micron and an initial velocity of 1.6 kilometers per hour.