I See through Everything

After all, current genetic testing methods can’t test every single cell.

Jiang Miao had to rely on his appraisal panel to select the few suitable candidates from a large batch of fused cells.

As for precise separation, he also relied on the appraisal panel. By repeatedly dividing the culture medium in the petri dishes, performing multiple dilutions with a nutrient solution, and using targeted gene-clearing to eliminate unwanted cells, he could isolate the ones he needed.

This process was also quite time-consuming.

It took Jiang Miao at least a week to select a single suitable variety.

The 50 new Big Mac Banana plants currently in the greenhouse were, in fact, already different from the original Big Mac Banana.

If one were to analyze the gene sequences of the six varieties, they would find that while they were related, the differences were also significant.

They could be distinguished according to botanical classification.

The original Big Mac Banana belonged to the *Musa acuminata* lineage, one of the primary ancestors of modern cultivated banana varieties.

It is characterized by larger fruit and a better texture. Most edible banana varieties, such as the common Cavendish, belong to this lineage. These varieties have slender pseudostems, thin and long leaves, and long, slender "fingers." They are mostly triploid and represent the most common type of banana on the market today.

Another lineage of bananas is the *Musa balbisiana*, also one of the banana’s important wild ancestors.

It is characterized by thick pseudostems, substantial leaves, and short, stubby "fingers," and is mostly diploid. Varieties like the Pisang Awak belong to this lineage. Its fruit has a unique flavor and texture and is cultivated over a considerable area in the country’s southern regions.

If the five varieties Jiang Miao had cultivated could be mass-produced, the banana family tree would need five new pages.

In other words, these five banana varieties represented five entirely new lineages.

This was mainly because they had undergone several generations of genetic mutation, followed by chromosomal treatment via cell fusion. This caused them to mutate so significantly that their genetic makeup was vastly different from the parent Big Mac Banana.

However, since they had yet to flower and bear fruit, Jiang Miao didn’t know the true taste of these new banana varieties.

After all, the appraisal panel could only analyze the gene sequence to determine the flavor compounds the genes would produce and the approximate content of each.

A taste assessment based on such data was certainly not one hundred percent accurate. In other words, mere textual information couldn’t possibly convey the complex flavor of a plant.

He would only know their true flavor profile after they were grown and he could taste them.

Based on the bananas’ current growth, he estimated the first batch of mature fruit wouldn’t be harvested until May or June of next year.

After checking on the experimental banana field, he moved on to inspect the other experimental plots one by one.

Only a small fraction of these were cultivated by Jiang Miao himself; the remaining mutant seedlings were all varieties developed by Zhang Chengdong and the others.

The gap between the varieties they cultivated was enormous.

The varieties Jiang Miao cultivated were all nearly successful.

As for the experimental varieties from Zhang Chengdong and the others, a single word could describe them: duds.

Ninety-nine percent of them were duds.

This highlighted the passive and helpless position of ordinary researchers in seedling research and development.

Late in the month, on a sunny morning, Teacher Li from Lion Mountain Agricultural University arrived at Hailufeng Company Headquarters with several leaders from the university.

Li Zixuan, who had previously accompanied them to Jiang City, was already waiting at the company entrance. Upon seeing Teacher Li and the others, he hurried forward to greet them.

"Teacher Li, hello. I’m Li Zixuan, General Manager Jiang’s secretary."

"Hello, Xiaoli," Teacher Li said with a smile and a nod.

Li Zixuan led the group to the second-floor cafeteria in the experimental area.

"Teacher Li, long time no see! You look as energetic as ever!" Jiang Miao said warmly.

Teacher Li smiled in response. "Ah Miao, seeing your company doing so well, I’m truly proud of you! Let me introduce you. This is He Lin, Vice Principal He."

"Hello, Vice Principal He!" Jiang Miao said, extending his hand.

He Lin was a square-faced, middle-aged man with glasses. He also extended his hand, and the two shook. "Jiang Miao, your company is now world-famous. The university is very proud of you."

"This is Zhao Donglai, the Director of the Scientific Research Department."

"And this is Zhu Longfu, the Dean of the College of Agriculture."

"Hello, Director Zhao, Dean Zhu."

"Hello, Jiang Miao."

The group chatted for a bit before sitting down and getting straight to the point.

Teacher Li got right to business. "Ah Miao, we’re mainly here to discuss the possibility of setting up an internship program at your company to provide our students with some practical experience."

Jiang Miao wasn’t troubled by this at all. A smile flashed in his eyes. "Teacher, of course, that’s no problem! The university made me who I am today. I’d be delighted to have the chance to give back to my alma mater."

Teacher Li nodded slightly. "That’s wonderful. Today’s students have plenty of theoretical knowledge, but they’re relatively lacking in practical experience. Interning at your company would allow them to experience a real work environment, which would be a great help to their future careers."

Jiang Miao listened intently, then said after a moment of thought, "Teacher, I’ll assign dedicated staff to mentor the interns and ensure they genuinely learn something. However, I’d also like to hear your thoughts on the potential content and requirements for the internship."

At that point, He Lin spoke up. "I think we could have the students participate in various projects to understand the company’s operational workflow, while also allowing them to apply their specialized knowledge. For instance, they could take part in new product development in the R&D department or learn about production processes in the manufacturing department."