Gene Editing and Plant Domestication as Key Tools for Food Security and Facing Climate Change

Plant experts from the University of Western Australia (UWA) and the University of Copenhagen provide two viable options for feeding the world in the midst of a worsening climate. The first option is to introduce genes that confer resistance to environmental stress into existing high-yield crops, while the second option is to domesticate wild plants that are resistant to environmental stresses but have lower yields than domesticated crops. They discussed these techniques in their feature article published in Frontiers in Science.

Prof. Sergey Shabala of UWA and the lead author of the article stressed that while it is too early which of the two techniques would be more effective, she pointed out the critical elements necessary for both options to work. These are gene editing and other precision breeding techniques driven by accurate cell-based phenotyping and public acceptance of the new crops.

“One of the current challenges is to match recent scientific advances with public perception of new technologies. The issue is highly politicized and there are significant commercial interests involved. And due to a lack of specific knowledge, the general public cannot distinguish the subtle differences amongst various technologies, and relies on opinions in the media,” he added.

Read more in Frontiers in Science journal and news.