CRISPR Editing Unlocks Self-Pollinating Buckwheat for Faster Breeding

Scientists from Poland have found a way to overcome self-incompatibility in common buckwheat, a major barrier to self-pollination and efficient breeding. By using CRISPR to disable the FeS-ELF3 gene, the scientists produced a buckwheat line capable of self-pollination, establishing a framework that could support faster breeding and the development of improved buckwheat varieties.

Achieving self-compatibility has long been a goal for improving buckwheat breeding, as common buckwheat is naturally hindered by distyly, a difference in flower form that prevents successful self-pollination. To overcome this barrier, the researchers first developed and conducted the species' first stable genetic transformation protocol by adapting an Agrobacterium-mediated system with a heat-shock treatment. CRISPR-Cas9 was then used to target the FeS-ELF3 gene in the commercial 'Panda' cultivar, resulting in a line that is capable of self-pollination.

Under greenhouse conditions, plants derived from this single edited line exhibited shorter plants and shorter inflorescences while maintaining seed yields comparable to untransformed plants. Since these physical changes were observed in only one edited plant line, further testing of independent edited lines will be needed to determine whether the traits are direct effects of disabling the FeS-ELF3 gene.

Read the abstract in Frontiers in Plant Science to learn more.