Nutrifruit is useful for producing seeds, but there is a problem if your plant has the Infertile trait. This trait prevents it from producing seeds normally, making it difficult to continue growing and expanding your Nutrifruit supply.
One way to solve this is by completing Eleanor’s quest. However, there is another method if you would rather avoid that quest. You can use the DNA Manipulator to extract the Infertile gene repeatedly until its rank is reduced or completely removed.
In this guide, I’ll explain how to prepare the DNA Manipulator, which modules you need, how to extract Infertile safely, and how to use Hydroponics to manage Heat during the process. This method requires several extraction cycles, but it can eventually restore your Nutrifruit’s ability to produce seeds.
How to Remove Infertile Gene from Nutrifruit in Probably Stolen
Before starting, make sure you have the following equipment and materials.
| Item | Purpose |
|---|---|
| DNA Manipulator | Extracts and modifies plant genes. |
| Gene Scanner | Checks the genes contained in a seed. |
| Genetic Stabilizer Module | Prevents the seed from being destroyed during extraction, but the extracted gene loses one rank. |
| Negative Trait Filter Module | Makes the machine extract a negative trait. |
| DNA Data Disk | Stores the extracted Infertile gene. |
| Nutrifruit Seed | The seed you will use for the extraction process. |
The Genetic Stabilizer and Negative Trait Filter are particularly important for the initial extraction.
Recommended DNA Manipulator Modules
The required equipment is enough to perform the process, but additional modules can improve the DNA Manipulator’s performance, quality, and energy efficiency.
Neural Core Modules
There are two Neural Core options worth considering:
- Neural Core Module (Capped): Provides +100% Performance and +50% Quality. It can rarely be found in Engineering Foundry Supply Crates.
- Neural Core Module (Uncapped): Provides +200% Performance and +100% Quality, but comes with -100% Efficiency. You can purchase it from the Hypertech Smuggler.
Node (Medium)
Node (Medium) modules have a Support Node effect that adds 20% of the base stats of each adjacent module to the machine.
This makes them especially useful when placed next to Neural Core Modules, allowing you to increase their effectiveness.
Current Converter
The Current Converter helps maintain a stable power supply for the DNA Manipulator.
You will need several extraction cycles to remove all Infertile ranks, so power consumption can become an issue. This module is useful for keeping the machine running throughout the process.
Turbo Boosters
Turbo Boosters are optional, but they can save a lot of time.
- Advanced Turbo Booster: Speeds up machine cycles.
- Hypertech Turbo Booster: An upgraded alternative that can be further improved using Advanced Turbo Boosters.
For this method, a Hypertech Turbo Booster with 25 uses is recommended for the example setup.
How the Infertile Gene Removal Process Works
Nutrifruit starts with the Infertile X trait, which prevents it from producing seeds normally.
The goal is to gradually reduce the Infertile rank using the DNA Manipulator.
However, each extraction has two important consequences:
- Complexity increases by +1.
- Heat increases with each operation.
The Genetic Stabilizer Module prevents the seed from being destroyed during extraction, but each successful extraction reduces the selected gene by one rank.
Why You Need the Negative Trait Filter Only Once
Here is an important trick that makes this process easier.
You only need the Negative Trait Filter Module for the first extraction. Once the DNA Manipulator extracts Infertile and stores it on your DNA Data Disk, you can remove the filter.
From that point onward, the DNA Data Disk determines which gene the machine extracts. Since your disk already contains Infertile, you can continue reducing its rank without keeping the Negative Trait Filter installed.
This also frees up a module slot for improving your machine’s other stats.
Preparing the DNA Manipulator
Before beginning, configure the DNA Manipulator properly. Your goal is to achieve a 100% extraction success chance while maintaining as much Performance as possible.
Initial Module Configuration
For the first extraction, install:
- Genetic Stabilizer Module
- Negative Trait Filter Module
Next, improve the machine’s stats using Neural Core Modules and Node (Medium) modules if you have them.
Neural Core Configuration
If you own a Neural Core Module, place it inside the DNA Manipulator and surround it with Node (Medium) modules.
The Nodes provide additional stats through their Support Node effect, making this a useful configuration for improving Performance and Quality.
Alternative Configuration Without Neural Core
If you do not have a Neural Core Module, you can still complete the process using regular modules.
Use the following approach:
- Add Quality modules until your extraction success chance reaches 100%.
- Fill the remaining available slots with Performance modules.
This setup can still provide the required extraction success chance, although the process will take longer.
Final Preparation
Once your modules are installed, place the following items into their respective slots:
- Blank DNA Data Disk
- Nutrifruit Seed
You are now ready to begin the first extraction.
First Extraction: Getting the Infertile DNA Data Disk
For the example configuration, the DNA Manipulator has these stats:
| Machine stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Performance | +710% |
| Efficiency | -440% |
| Quality | +380% |
| Work required | 52 |
| Work per day | 45 |
| Starting seed complexity | 8 |
Use your Hypertech Turbo Booster to activate the genetic module and complete the first extraction.
Once the extraction finishes, you should have a DNA Data Disk containing the Infertile gene.
Now remove the Negative Trait Filter Module. You no longer need it because the DNA Data Disk determines which gene will be extracted.
Final DNA Manipulator Configuration
After removing the Negative Trait Filter, you can use the extra space to improve your machine further.
The example setup reaches these stats:
| Machine stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Performance | +870% |
| Efficiency | -575% |
| Quality | +470% |
| Work per day | 53 |
| Seed complexity | 9 |
| Seed Heat | +3 |
This configuration allows the machine to complete 53 work per day, making the remaining extraction process faster.
Reduce Infertile from Rank X to Rank IV
Now that your DNA Data Disk contains Infertile, keep using it to extract the same gene.
Each successful extraction reduces Infertile by one rank.
Your first target should be reducing the trait from X (10) to at least IV (4).
Why stop at Rank IV?
At Infertile IV, the seed production penalty drops to -71%, compared to -99% at Rank X. This gives your Nutrifruit a much better chance of producing new seeds.
By the time you reach this point, the example seed has:
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Infertile | IV |
| Complexity | 14 |
| Heat | +18 |
Further extraction requires 148 work, which takes approximately three additional machine cycles with the example configuration.
You can optionally remove another one or two Infertile ranks at this stage, but it is not necessary for the method.
Reset Heat Using Hydroponics
Heat becomes a problem after repeated DNA extraction cycles. Normally, you can reduce Heat by planting a seed and completing a growth cycle.
Since Nutrifruit with a high Infertile rank struggles to produce seeds, you need to reduce the trait first.
Once you reach Infertile IV, finish the current day and move to the next one. This allows you to continue the process without losing your progress.
Next, use Hydroponics to grow the seed.
How to Reset Heat
- Take your Nutrifruit seed with Infertile IV.
- Plant it in a Hydroponics setup.
- Use a Turbo Booster to speed up the growth cycle.
- Wait for the result and check whether the plant produces new seeds.
The original guide recommends configuring Hydroponics so it can complete all required work in a single cycle.
The exact importance of Quality and Productivity for this particular setup is not confirmed, but completing the growth cycle quickly makes the process more convenient.
If you fail to obtain new seeds, restart the day, plant the seed again, and activate Hydroponics once more.
Once you successfully obtain a new Nutrifruit seed, its Heat will be reset while its Complexity remains unchanged.
Remove the Remaining Infertile Ranks
After obtaining a new seed, return it to the DNA Manipulator.
Because the seed has already gone through the earlier extraction process, you now need only 76 work to continue removing Infertile.
Use your Hypertech Turbo Booster to speed up the remaining extraction cycles.
You can also repeat the Hydroponics method if Heat becomes too high again.
Continue extracting Infertile until its rank reaches zero.
Final Nutrifruit Results
In the example, the final seed has the following attributes:
| Attribute | Final result |
|---|---|
| Infertile | Removed |
| Complexity | 18 |
| Heat | +12 |
Once the Infertile trait is completely removed, plant the seed in Hydroponics and use a Turbo Booster to speed up its growth cycle.
Your Nutrifruit should now be able to produce seeds again.
Other Possible Methods
There are two additional approaches worth considering, although neither was tested in the original guide.
Continue Extracting Without Using Hydroponics
You could keep using the DNA Manipulator until Infertile reaches Rank 0 without stopping to reset Heat through Hydroponics.
However, this would likely require considerably more Turbo Booster uses.
Reduce Complexity
Another possible approach is to add negative traits to reduce Complexity.
This could potentially save some Turbo Booster uses, but additional Heat and extraction work might cancel out those benefits.
Neither alternative has been confirmed, so the Hydroponics method remains the demonstrated approach.
Does Removing Infertile Affect Eleanor’s Quest?
The method described here was tested in a playthrough where Eleanor’s quest had not yet been completed.
The original guide did not notice any impact on quest progression after manually removing the Infertile trait.
However, this interaction has not been fully confirmed, so it is worth keeping in mind if you still plan to complete Eleanor’s quest later.
If you do not want to complete Eleanor’s quest, using the DNA Manipulator is another way to restore Nutrifruit seed production.
The most important part is understanding that you only need the Negative Trait Filter for the first extraction. After obtaining the Infertile DNA Data Disk, remove the filter and continue extracting the same gene.
I recommend reducing Infertile to Rank IV first, using Hydroponics to reset Heat, and then returning to the DNA Manipulator to remove the remaining ranks. It takes several steps, but the result is a Nutrifruit seed that no longer has the Infertile trait.
