The use of gene-editing techniques in breeding improved ornamentals

Publication date: 27/04/2020
Extent: 24 pages

Contributions by: Bruno Trevenzoli Favero, Josefine Nymark Hegelund and Henrik Lütken, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

Chapter synopsis: The aim of ornamental plant breeding is developing novel cultivars with new and improved traits. Innovation in this field has increased with the advent of precise genome editing. These techniques use nucleases to guide site directed mutagenesis e.g. the Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats nuclease-associated systems (CRISPR). CRISPR has accelerated the pace of studies, specifically due to its relative simplicity. An advantage is the potential of no foreign DNA remaining in the targeted species. This chapter focuses on reducing ethylene sensitivity in the potted plant Campanula portenschlagiana as a case study by mimicking a naturally occurring mutation in the transcription factor, EIL2, from C. medium. The CRISPR system provides many novel applications not previously available and consequently the expectations are high. In respect to this, legislation is pivotal and the technology is not equally perceived around the globe.

DOI: 10.19103/AS.2020.0066.07