A trademarked method for inserting DNA into plant cells, so that those plant cells will then incorporate that new DNA and express the protein(s) coded-for by that DNA. Developed by ICI Seeds Inc. (Garst Seed Company) in 1993, Whiskers is an alternative to other methods of inserting DNA into plant cells (e.g., the Biolistic® Gene Gun, Agrobacterium tumefaciens, “Shotgun” Method [to introduce foreign (new) genes into plant cells], etc.), and consists of needle-like crystals of silicon carbide. The crystals are placed into a container along with the plant cells, then mixed at high speed, which causes the crystals to pierce the plant cell walls with microscopic passages. Then the new DNA is added, which causes the DNA to flow through those microscopic passages into the plant cells. The plant cells that incorporate the new DNA have thus been genetically engineered.