A research team from Penn State University has successfully developed disease-resistant cacao plants using advanced gene-editing technology alongside traditional crossbreeding methods. Plant molecular biologist Mark Guiltinan, professor in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, is the lead developer of this major breakthrough. It seeks to address the global threat posed by phytophthora species, the pathogen that causes black pod disease, which leads to yield losses as high as 30% globally.
This group of researchers, led by Lena Landherr, consisting of Siela Maximova, Dante DelVecchio, Aswathy Sebastian, and Istvan Albert, leveraged CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology. They focused on just one gene, TcNPR3, in their study. This gene is a negative regulator of plant immunity and is a member of the NPR3 protein family. Through the precise editing of this gene, the researchers hope to bolster the plants’ immunity to diseases that endanger cacao crops.
Addressing a Global Challenge
The cacao industry has an enormous impact on the global economy, producing over $135 billion a year. In recent years, ongoing outbreaks of black pod disease have threatened the long-term viability of cacao production. This disease, known as black pod, greatly reduces quality and quantity of cacao beans. Consequently, farmers and the countless others who comprise the chocolate industry’s supply chain face a significant threat.
Environmental plant biologist Mark Guiltinan and his team at the University of Pennsylvania soon saw the necessity for fresh approaches to defend cacao crops. So they’ve taken time-tested breeding techniques and bolstered them with next-gen gene-editing strategies. Consequently, they were able to breed cacao with higher immunity to the deadly impact of black pod disease. This two-pronged strategy speeds up the breeding process. It ensures that the resultant plants possess only the intended genetic alterations, excluding any transgenic components.
As a result, USDA recently determined that the edited cacao plants are not regulated under the biotechnology regulations. Today could be one of those rare, pivotal moments where the future of agricultural practices are shaped. This ruling is an affirmation of that work and of the advocacy team’s efforts. In addition, it establishes a significant regulatory precedent against the use of gene editing technologies in plant breeding.
The Science Behind the Breakthrough
The CRISPR-Cas9 technology used by Guiltinan’s team provides unprecedented precision, accuracy, versatility, and efficiency for genetic editing. The researchers narrowed in on the TcNPR3 gene. In so doing, they were able to conclusively eliminate a previous barrier to plant immunity, strengthening the plants’ protective immune response to pathogens.
Though effective, these approaches can be painstakingly slow and resource-intensive even with traditional breeding. Creating new resistant varieties typically takes decades. This lengthy timeline can have disastrous consequences for us when fast action is necessary to combat evolving threats to our crops. The research team has combined modern gene editing with more established methods to accelerate the process. Recently, this has meant that farmers have been able to quickly receive disease- or climate-resilient cacao plants.
Beyond building a better disease fighter, this creative process dovetails with the principles of sustainable, regenerative agriculture. Best of all, the crafted cacao plants preserve their inherent genetic integrity but improve on mother nature with the additional resistance characteristics. Such a shift would help make the cacao supply chain more sustainable and secure. Because of this, it can be a stabilizing force in the chocolate industry.
Future Implications for Agriculture
The successful development of these disease-resistant cacao plants is a promising harbinger of gene editing’s application to agriculture on a wider scale. Climate change, pest resistance, and other related environmental factors threaten the global ability to produce crops. Creative approaches such as this one will be critical in ensuring global food security.
The cacao is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the implications here. We can repeat these same techniques on other crops endangered by new diseases and climate change. The regulatory precedent set by the USDA regarding gene-edited plants may pave the way for wider acceptance of these technologies within agricultural communities.
Furthermore, as consumer awareness of sustainable practices grows, there is potential for increased market demand for crops produced through innovative breeding techniques. This broad acceptance of gene-edited plants might just help businesses keep pace with changing consumer demand for sustainably and ethically produced foods.
