Cotton farmers world wide owe a huge debt to the Belgian scientist, Emeritus Professor Marc Van Montagu.
Professor Van Montagu has been in Australia attending the International Horticulture Conference.
In the 1960s, he pioneered the technology behind genetic modification in plants which initially resulted in the development of the insect tolerant cotton, BT.
But he says his inspiration all started in the 1950s, when as a young scientist the world was learning about the secrets of DNA.
"That was the period that Watson and Crick gave us the model for DNA; it was in the 60s the genetic code was actually explained.
"So I had the luck to follow all the major developments in what we today call molecular biology," he said.
The breakthrough with respect to genetic modification came when he discovered that bacteria could grow on a plant like a cancer.
"We found out that there is a bacteria that does genetic engineering!
"In nature, there is a type of bacteria that copies some of its DNA into plant cells, and the plant cell becomes deregulated and starts making product that the bacteria can use."
This was the starting point that eventually lead to the incorporation of desirable genes into plants and the development of BT cotton in the 1980s.
Professor Van Montagu says the use of GM revolutionised plant breeding, and as world population continues to grow, GMOs will play a role in helping to feed the world.
He rejects the arguments of those who are opposed to GMOs, saying there are extremely valid arguments for supporting the technology if we are to improve crop productivity.