The act allows patents only for asexually reproduced plants. Plants can be patented by grafting, budding, cuttings, layering, or division, but not by seeds. Introduced by the nursery industry, the act is the first time that the possibility of "inventing" a plant through hybridization is proposed. In other words, the "new" plant is determined to be separate from the original plant it is derived from. This legal recognition sets the stage for the patenting of human DNA that will later be legalized by the state.