Ripe, red strawberries grow on the plant.

Gene discovered that plays role in triggering fruit growth

Researchers say it’s important to understand this fertilization process because many food crops are derived from flowers

“Understanding this process (of fertilization) is especially important because common food crops such as peanuts, corn, rice and strawberries are all derived from flowers,” said Zhongchi Liu, professor in the department of cell biology and molecular genetics. “Knowing how plants decide to turn part of their flowers into fruit and seed is crucial to agriculture and our food supply.”


Small plants in test tubes.

Science takes a backseat in Canada

Canadian Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau announced on May 3 that Canada will exempt gene-edited plants from regulation and mandatory public notification unless they contain foreign DNA or if they are herbicide tolerant. For all other changes in a gene-edited plant, the company decides if its product might cause environmental harm and thus should be assessed […] Read more

Hannah Schneider, postdoctoral scholar in Jonathan Lynch lab, Penn State University, photographs corn crowns.

Discovery of gene helps corn withstand drought

Research team is working on breeding crops with better drought tolerance and reduced need for fertilizer

Scientists at Penn State University have made a discovery that could lead to a new variety of corn able to withstand drought and low-nitrogen soil conditions, potentially easing future global food insecurity.



A group of pigs in an indoor pen.

Hog researchers use gene editing to pass on desired traits

Technique known as ‘surrogate sires,’ where male animals produce sperm carrying only genetic traits of donor animals

Researchers at Washington State University have created a gene-edited pig. The scientists used CRISPR, a gene-editing tool, to sterilize a group of five male pigs. Then, the pigs received stem cells from another male pig. That allowed them to “create sperm with that (other) male’s desired traits, to be passed on to the next generation,” […] Read more

A group of pigs in an indoor pen.

Gene-edited pigs made into sausages

The five pigs were slaughtered and processed at the WSU Meat Lab, then United States Department of Agriculture staff inspected the meat for safety. A meat scientist at the university made some of the pork into sausages, which will be sold to raise funds for students on the university's meat-judging team.


Yiping Qi and his postdoctoral researcher, Yingxiao Zhang, were awarded the University of Maryland Invention of the Year in Life Sciences for their innovations to CRISPR-Cas12a genome editing technologies in plants.  |  UMD photo

New generation of CRISPR is able to multi-task

The latest technology can now edit multiple genes in plants while simultaneously changing the expression of other genes

In 2012, a powerful molecular gene-editing tool known as CRISPR-Cas9 was discovered by American scientist Jennifer Doudna and French scientist Emmanuelle Charpentier and their colleagues. It was a game-changer in refining the DNA of crops to improve qualities like yield, growth and drought and pest resistance. The discovery earned the scientists the 2020 Nobel Prize […] Read more

Scientists say CRISPR technology brings great potential to plant breeding but they also acknowledge that developers face potential difficulties once that technology is ready to leave the lab and research plots.  |  Getty Images

Gene editing continues to face public resistance

Researcher says a more integrated global market makes new technologies more difficult than during the birth of GMOs

Gene-editing science is complex and a technological miracle. However, it might not be as challenging to master as the art of managing social psychology and human government and regulatory systems, a biotechnology conference heard. “Maybe science is the easy part,” said Rodolphe Barrangou, a researcher who uses CRISPR gene-editing technology at North Carolina State University. […] Read more

"Genome editing has become very exciting in crop breeding and agriculture," said Caixia Gao of the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, during a Gairdner Global Perspectives Panel presentation. | Getty Images

Researchers upbeat about gene editing

Researchers were able to plunk powdery-mildew resistance into top wheat varieties in only a few months using genome-editing technology. This shows the power of gene-editing methods in crop variety breeding, which often used to take years to move positive characteristics from their source to where they were needed, according to the lead researcher on the […] Read more


"I think the opportunities are so exciting," said Jennifer Doudna, a biochemist at the University of California at Berkeley. "CRISPR is already being used to manipulate properties of plants that include crop yields, drought tolerance, pest tolerance, things that are going to have important implications around the world especially as we deal with the challenges of climate change." | Getty Images

Scientist still sees CRISPR acceptance issues

Co-discoverer of gene editing says researchers have responsibility to be as transparent with the public as possible

To overcome the twin challenges of preserving and increasing food production while minimizing greenhouse gases, agriculture has a powerful set of tools in CRISPR gene-editing technology, said one of its discoverers. “I think the opportunities are so exciting,” said Jennifer Doudna, a biochemist at the University of California at Berkeley. “CRISPR is already being used […] Read more

Geneticist and plant breeder Curtis Pozniak talks with Western Producer journalist Karen Briere about the fast-path forward in plant breeding in Canada. | SV Fisk photo

Traits and techniques:

How the search for genetic improvements is accelerating, thanks to new research tools

In conversation with geneticist and plant breeder Curtis Pozniak Western Producer journalist Karen Briere explores the fast-path forward in plant breeding in Canada. Join her on our digital platform for these interviews: What’s changed in plant breeding over the last 20 years? How does DNA testing of plants save scientists and farmers time and money? […] Read more