At Ag Biotech Academy 2017, we heard from Kirk Reese, DuPont Pioneer Agronomy Research Manager, about the potential of CRISPR-Cas9 to allow gene editing in a variety of applications. This technology is less complicated and more efficient than past methods.
“Robert Henry, director of the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation in Australia, says that CRISPR and other agricultural genetics will help humans survive sustainably. “The world population doubled in the second half of the last century, but we more than doubled food production,” says Henry, and humanity did it “substantially by genetics.” As the global population continues to rise, Henry is confident we’ll ramp up food production again, “and we’ll do it by two means: genetics and management.””
“The scientists developing CRISPR for agriculture hope their work will bring better food to more people. “I have a dream that in five to 10 years, a person could go to the grocery store and purchase vegetables or fruit that have been developed using CRISPR technology,” says Haurwitz. DuPont believes CRISPR will ultimately be the agricultural solution the world needs. “Plants are under constant stress from climate change, drought and disease,” Theisen says. “This coupled with rapid population growth and changing diets requires agricultural innovation to keep pace.””
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source: Ozy.com
