Genome Editing In Agriculture

Neue Pflanzenzüchtungstechnologien wie CRISPR/Cas haben das Potenzial zur Verbesserung der Nachhaltigkeit in der Landwirtschaft. Mit den Techniken des Genome Editing können die Erträge bei gleichzeitig reduziertem Pestizideinsatz gesteigert werden. Auch an der Verbesserung des Nährwerts von Pflanzen wird weltweit geforscht. Ob die neuen Techniken allerdings in Europa zum Einsatz kommen, ist gegenwärtig fraglich. Soll Genome Editing wie die "klassische" Gentechnik reguliert werden? Und wie kann eine verantwortliche Auslegung des Vorsorgeprinzips beim Einsatz der neuen Technologien aussehen? Die politische Diskussion um die Bewertung der neuen Pflanzenzüchtungstechnologien ist in vollem Gange. Die Beiträge dieses Sammelbands präsentieren rechtliche, soziale und ethische Aspekten zum Thema, die auf einer Summer School des Instituts Technik-Theologie-Naturwissenschaften (TTN) an der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München zur Diskussion standen. Mit Beiträgen von Stephan Schleissing; Sebastian Pfeilmeier; Christian Dürnberger; Jarst van Belle; Jan Schaart; Robert van Loo; Katharina Unkel; Thorben Sprink; Aurélie Jouanin; Marinus J.M. Smulders; Hans-Georg Dederer; Brigitte Voigt; Felix Beck; João Otávio Benevides Demasi; Bartosz Bartkowski; Chad M. Baum; Alexander Bogner; Helge Torgersen; Sebastian Schubert; Anne Friederike Hoffmann; Ksenia Gerasimova; Karolina Rucinska

Global food security is increasingly challenging in light of population increase, the impact of climate change on crop production, and limited land available for agricultural expansion. Plant breeding and other agricultural technologies have contributed considerably for food and nutritional security over the last few decades. Genetic engineering approaches are powerful tools that we have at our disposal to overcome substantial obstacles in the way of efficiency and productivity of current agricultural practices. Genome engineering via CRISPR/Cas9, Cpf1, base editing and prime editing, and OMICs through genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, phenomics, an metabolomics have helped to discover underlying mechanisms controlling traits of economic importance. Principle and Practices of OMICs and Genome Editing for Crop Improvement provides recent research from eminent scholars from around the world, from various geographical regions, with established expertise on genome editing and OMICs technologies. This book offers a wide range of information on OMICs techniques and their applications to develop biotic, abiotic and climate resilient crops, metabolomics and next generation sequencing for sustainable crop production, integration bioinformatics, and multi-omics for precision plant breeding. Other topics include application of genome editing technologies for food and nutritional security, speed breeding, hybrid seed production, resource use efficiency, epigenetic modifications, transgene free breeding, database and bioinformatics for genome editing, and regulations adopted by various countries around globe for genome edited crops. Both OMICs and genome editing are vigorously utilized by researchers for crop improvement programs; however, there is limited literature available in a single source. This book provides a valuable resource not only for students at undergraduate and postgraduate level but also for researchers, stakeholders, policy makers, and practitioners interested in the potential of genome editing and OMICs for crop improvement programs.

This book compiles the latest applications of the cutting-edge gene editing tool CRISPR/Cas in the area of crop improvement. It begins with an introduction to the technique and its application in crop plants. Next, it gives an updated overview of available delivery methods, design tools and resources in CRISPR/Cas. The book subsequently reviews the applications of CRISPR/Cas in connection with e.g. insect stress, disease stress, abiotic stress, nutritional and yield improvement in crop plants, etc. It also discusses the various regulatory, ethical and social aspects of the technique that must be kept in mind when designing experiments. In closing, the book summarizes the status quo and outlines future prospects for the tool in crop improvement and food security. Given its scope, the book will especially benefit students and researchers in food science, biotechnology, agriculture and the plant sciences.

Plant molecular biology came to the fore in the early 1980s and there has been tremendous growth in the subject since then. The study of plant genes and genomes, coupled with the development of techniques for the incorporation of novel or modified genes into plants, eventually led to the commercialisation of genetically modified (GM) crops in the mid-1990s. This was seen as the start of a biotechnological revolution in plant breeding. However, plant biotechnology became one of the hottest debates of the age and, in Europe at least, has been mired in controversy and over-regulation. Nevertheless, recent years have seen further technological innovation in the development of a range of techniques that enable scientists to make specific changes to target genes. Through a detailed history and development of the science and techniques that underpin crop biotechnology, this title is concise, comprehensive and readable. As well as new sections on genome editing, this edition includes expanded sections on current GM crops and future developments in plant biotechnology, and updated sections on techniques, legislation and the GM crop debate. The previous edition of this book, titled Genetically Modified Crops, 2nd Edition, was published in November 2011. Contents: DNA, Genes, Genomes and Plant BreedingThe Techniques of Plant Genetic Modification and Genome EditingThe Use of Genetically Modified (GM) and Genome-edited Crops in AgricultureLegislation Covering Genetically Modified (GM) Crops and FoodsIssues that Have Arisen in the GM Crop and Food Debate Readership: It is accessible to a general readership with a scientific background but also provides useful information for the specialist, particularly those interested in the production of genetically modified (GM) and genome edited crops, the use of GM and genome edited crops in commercial agriculture. Keywords: Agriculture;Agricultural Sciences;Biology;Biotechnology;Botany;Crop Science;Environment;Food;Genes;Genetics; Genetic Engineering;Genetic Modification;Genetic Manipulation;GM Crops;Plant Breeding;PlantsReview: Key Features: Written by an acknowledged expert in the fieldNow includes genome edited as well as GM cropsGreatly expanded sections on current GM and genome edited crops and future developments in plant biotechnologyUpdated sections on legislation and the GM crop debateA concise reference with all the important facts in one placeA readable treatise of an issue with implications for science in society that go well beyond plant breeding and crop science

Over the last few decades, various techniques have been developed to alter the properties of plants and animals. While the targeted transfer of recombinant DNA into crop plants remains a valuable tool to achieve a desirable breeding outcome, integration of transgenes into the host genome has been random, which in part, leads to reduced acceptance of GMOs by the general population in some parts of the world. Likewise, methods of induced mutagenesis, such as TILLING, have the disadvantage that many mutations are induced per plant, which has to be removed again by expensive backcrossing. Advances in genome sequencing have provided more and more information on differences between susceptible and resistant varieties, which can now be directly targeted and modified using CRISPR/Cas9 technology. By selecting specific gRNAs occurrence of off-target modifications are comparatively low. ZFNs and TALENs- based approaches required re-engineering a new set of assembled polypeptides for every new target site for each experiment. The difficulty in cloning and protein engineering prevented these tools from being broadly adopted by the scientific community. Compared to these technologies, designing the CRISPR toolbox is much simpler and more flexible. CRISPR/Cas9 is versatile, less expensive and highly efficient. It has become the most widely used technology for genome editing in many organisms. Since its inception as a powerful genome-editing tool in late 2012, this breakthrough technology has completely changed how science is performed. The first few chapters in this book introduce the basic concept, design and implementation of CRISPR/Cas9 for different plant systems. They are followed by in-depth discussions on the legal and bio-safety issues accompanying commercialization and patenting of this emerging technology. Lastly, this book covers emerging areas of new tools and potential applications. We believe readers, novice and expert alike, will benefit from this all-in-one resource on genome editing for crop improvement. Chapter 17 is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.