Confined field trials and regulation of genetically engineered plants

Genetic Transformation of Grapevine Using Agrobacterium- Mediated Gene Transfer

By introducing desirable traits into an existing genome while maintaining the plant’s genetic integrity, plant genetic engineering is an effective method for enhancing plants. The introduction of valuable genes encoding traits like disease/insect resistance, herbicide tolerance, enhanced nutritional/medical/commercial properties, improved uptake and utilization of growth agents, and many more traits has been accomplished through the genetic modification of a wide variety of plant species. For reasons discussed later in this chapter, the public’s perception of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) is currently negative. However, it remains to be seen whether the advantages of reduced chemical use and improved nutritional aspects lead to a world with food security that is environmentally sustainable. Genetic engineering is especially important because grape is very heterozygous and standard breeding methods fail to produce true-to-type offspring. Grapes are also a commodity driven by consumers, and novel varieties, particularly wine cultivars, have little market acceptance. In order to produce indigenous genotypes with novel characteristics, technological breakthroughs like gene transfer must be utilized because vegetative propagation leaves little room for development.

Advancing Indian Agriculture Through Global Transgenic Innovations

Genetic Engineering of Transgenic Crops

Crop genetic engineering has moved well beyond conventional breeding. Researchers now routinely rewrite plant genomes with nucleotide precision, though the underlying biology still resists easy transfer. This review traces how the tools work, where they have succeeded, and where they fall short. A particular focus is the tension between Agrobacterium-mediated delivery and host defense—plants recognize the pathogen through pattern-triggered immunity (PTI), and resistant accessions may mount effector-triggered immunity (ETI), either response capable of aborting transformation. We also contrast the error-prone non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) pathway with template-dependent homology-directed repair (HDR), which remains inefficient in most species.The field has produced scattered but tangible outcomes: CLE promoter editing raises maize yields; base editing yields herbicide-resistant oilseed rape; HDR-derived rice tolerates glyphosate; and metabolic engineering pushes vitamin C higher in tomatoes. Looking ahead, speed breeding merged with precise editing, multiplex engineering, and AI-guided design could push agriculture toward greater sustainability. These advances suggest genetic engineering is becoming indispensable—for food security and for reducing environmental harm.

The global scientific consensus on genetically modified crop risk assessments

ABSTRACT Initial risk assessments of genetically modified (GM) crops began in the early 1990 s, focusing on herbicide tolerance and insect resistance, with approvals by the mid-1990s. These assessments compare GM crops to non-GM equivalents, a framework unchanged for over 30 years. Since the first assessment in 1994, over 4,400 evaluations have been conducted across more than 70 countries for both cultivation and food/feed use. To date, none have identified increased risk relative to conventional varieties. This article analyzes three decades of GM crop approvals, highlighting the consistency of scientific assessment processes. Fourteen crops underwent 692 cultivation and 1,891 food-release assessments for herbicide tolerance, while insect resistance accounted for 523 cultivation and 1,396 food-release assessments, largely involving Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). The findings underscore that GM crops are equivalent in risk to conventional varieties, supporting reliance on established international scientific expertise, particularly in resource-constrained regions.

Environmental Risk Assessment and Confinement of Genetically Engineered Trees with an Emphasis on Vegetative Reproduction

Genetic engineering (GE) and gene editing may endow traits to trees such as increased biomass and the production of novel biomaterials. Long-lived organisms such as trees might be subject to biotechnology-related risks that could be different than those of annual row crops. Those risks could be relevant to production in engineered plantations and beyond plantations to natural forests. Therefore, appropriate risk regulation is important to assure biosafety of commercialized engineered trees. In addition to gene flow via sexual reproduction, vegetative reproduction might play an additional role in environmental “exposure” risk relative to transgene dispersal in GE tree plantations. While vegetative reproduction is beneficial for preserving desired genetic traits during tree propagation, it may lead to proximal clonal spread in the field. Although the environmental risks associated with vegetative reproduction of GE trees are recognized in commercial forestry, there are few field-based environmental risk assessment (ERA) studies on dispersal risks of self-propagated GE trees. GE or gene editing of target genes involved in the vegetative propagation processes may be useful to mitigate environmental risks of clonal spread through vegetative reproduction. This review provides updates for recent field test results of GE and gene edited trees. Gene candidates related to vegetative reproduction including adventitious shooting (AS) and adventitious rooting (AR) are discussed herein as a means to mitigate unintended clonal spread from GE tree plantations.

Mutation Breeding as a Tool for Sustainable Crop Production and Climate Resilience: Experiences from the South-Eastern Europe (SEE) and Central Asia (CA)

The review summarizes practical experiences in using mutation breeding for crop improvement in South-Eastern Europe (SEE) and Central Asia (CA), demonstrating that mutation breeding can be a field-validated, effective approach for developing climate-resilient crops. Drawing on coordinated research conducted within national breeding programs and international initiatives supported by FAO/IAEA, applied methodologies, trait-evaluation strategies, and concrete breeding outputs in cereals, legumes, and industrial crops are presented. The use of gamma irradiation, fast neutrons, and chemical mutagens has successfully generated stable mutant lines stable mutant lines with enhanced traits, such as increased thousand-grain weight in wheat, altered oil quality in sunflower, and improved drought tolerance in common bean and sesame. The integration of classical pedigree selection with modern breeding tools such as high-throughput phenotyping, molecular and biochemical markers, and doubled-haploid technology has enabled earlier and more efficient identification of superior genotypes in mutation breeding programs. The review underscores the practical relevance of mutation breeding in contemporary pipelines to maintain yield stability and quality under adverse environmental conditions.