Contents -- List of tables -- List of figures -- Preface to the second edition -- Preface to the first edition -- Acknowledgments -- Lists of abbreviations -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Science, agriculture, and social change -- 3. The genetic foundation of American agriculture -- 4. Public science ascendant: plant breeding comes of age -- 5. Heterosis and the social division of labor -- 6. Plant breeders' rights and the social division of labor: historical perspective -- 7. Seeds of struggle -- plant genetic resources in the world system -- 8. Outdoing evolution: biotechnology, botany, and business -- 9. Directions for deployment -- 10. Conclusion -- 11. Still the seed: plant biotechnology in the twenty-first century -- Notes -- References -- Index.