Genetically engineered crops have been grown for more than 20 years, resulting in widespread albeit variable benefits for farmers and consumers. We review current, likely, and potential genetic engineering (GE) applications for the development of disease-resistant crop cultivars. Gene editing, gene drives, and synthetic biology offer novel opportunities to control viral, bacterial, and fungal pathogens, parasitic weeds, and insect vectors of plant pathogens. We conclude that there will be no shortage of GE applications to tackle disease resistance and other farmer and consumer priorities for agricultural crops. Beyond reviewing scientific prospects for genetically engineered crops, we address the social institutional forces that are commonly overlooked by biological scientists. Intellectual property regimes, technology regulatory frameworks, the balance of funding between public- and private-sector research, and advocacy by concerned civil society groups interact to define who uses which GE technologies, on which crops, and for the benefit of whom. Ensuring equitable access to the benefits of genetically engineered crops requires affirmative policies, targeted investments, and excellent science.
1.Int Maize & Wheat Improvement Ctr CIMMYT, Texcoco 56237, Mexico 2.Int Food Policy Res Inst IFPRI, Washington, DC 20005 USA 3.Wageningen Univ & Res WUR, Plant Prod Syst Grp, NL-6700 AK Wageningen, Netherlands 4.Penn State Univ, Dept Agr Econ Sociol & Educ, University Pk, PA 16802 USA 5.North Carolina State Univ, Genet Engn & Soc Ctr, Raleigh, NC 27695 USA 6.North Carolina State Univ, Dept Entomol & Plant Pathol, Raleigh, NC 27695 USA 7.Oregon State Univ, Dept Crop & Soil Sci, Corvallis, OR 97331 USA 8.Texas A&M Univ, Dept Soil & Crop Sci, College Stn, TX 77843 USA 9.Univ Tennessee, Dept Plant Sci, Knoxville, TN 37996 USA 10.Univ Tennessee, Ctr Agr Synthet Biol, Knoxville, TN 37996 USA
Recommended Citation:
Pixley, Kevin V.,Falck-Zepeda, Jose B.,Giller, Ken E.,et al. Genome Editing, Gene Drives, and Synthetic Biology: Will They Contribute to Disease-Resistant Crops, and Who Will Benefit?[J]. ANNUAL REVIEW OF PHYTOPATHOLOGY, VOL 57, 2019,2019-01-01,57:165-188