Using Genome Editing for Enhanced Crop Production
There is no doubt that using advanced technology to improve crops that will be used to feed the earth’s increasing population will be the cornerstone that supports the potential increase in the supply and quality of food that will be needed in the coming years. The Council for Agricultural Science and Technology [CAST] published Issue Paper No. 74 titled “Applications, Benefits, and Challenges of Genome Edited Crops“ that discusses the advances in and potential of genome editing [GE] that can be used as a tool in agriculture to provide benefits to both producers and consumers.
Sections of this article with content of particular interest follow.
GE Applications. Scientists in both the public and private sectors are developing 1) agronomic traits that will benefit producers and the environment, including resistance to both biotic and abiotic stresses, and 2) quality traits that directly benefit consumers, such as enhanced nutrition and flavor in a harvested commodity.
GE Benefits: Social, Economic, and Environmental. GE has the potential to overhaul agriculture by enabling precise and targeted crop modifications, such as improving the nutritional quality of a product. Improved crop yields that may result from GE technology will necessarily improve the economic return to a producer as well as enhance food security. GE technology can play a pivotal role in: 1) reducing the negative effects to the environment from greenhouse gas emissions that emanate from agricultural activities; 2) developing crop varieties that are resistant to pests and diseases that now are controlled by pesticide applications; and 3) developing crop varieties that require fewer resources such as water, or that perform well in resource-limited environments.
GE generates genetic variation. GE enhances genetic diversity within a plant species by providing plant breeders with additional opportunities to use the genetic variation that results from the introduction of new traits that add value to the crop of interest.
GE preserves food qualities in unadapted germplasm. GE allows specific traits to be inserted into germplasm that is adapted to a small but important geographical and/or cultural niche.
GE Challenges. Overall, use of GE in agriculture has the potential to benefit society, the economy, and the environment by enhancing crop improvement, while increasing crop productivity, reducing the use of pesticides, and improving nutritional quality of a target crop. However, these potential results can only be realized if/when technical obstacles and market and regulatory hurdles are overcome. In the U.S., the USDA and EPA have published revisions to their biotechnology regulations that address the changes that will be required for GE to become a viable technology for crop improvement.
It is through the development and application of tools such as GE technology that the Earth’s food supply will be improved/enhanced. The challenge that lies ahead is to create an environment that enables the use of GE tools to further that improvement/enhancement. Such an environment will fast-track research and development and incentivize innovation in the GE technology area. This will require a science-based regulatory system that offers transparency and proactive engagement with all stakeholders, including consumers. To this end, the following five policy recommendations are proffered in the report to ensure that GE use in agriculture benefits both producers and consumers.
1. Increase public investment that will incentivize R&D in the GE area.
2. Increase public investment in genomics to result in the discovery of new crop traits that will enhance production from crops that produce human food and animal feed.
3. Create incentives for start-up companies that will use current and newly-developed breeding tools to develop food products that will address consumer demands and needs.
4. Create incentives to develop products that will have a significant positive impact on the environment.
5. Ensure an effective regulatory system that encourages use of GE technology in all food-, feed-, and environment-related enhancement applications.
The publication of this report was made possible through funding provided by the United Soybean Board [USB], which uses checkoff monies provided by U.S. soybean producers to develop and promote technological advances that will improve the bottom line and sustainability for those producers, as well as benefit consumers who depend on products derived from soybeans.
Composed by Larry G. Heatherly, Apr. 2024, larryh91746@gmail.com