ONTARIO GRAIN FARMER RESEARCH continued from page 15 Another factor that complicates establishing disease resistance is the different types of pathogens. Bacteria, viruses, fungi, and oomycetes are four causal agents of plant diseases, so there is no “ o n e - s i z e - fi t s - a l l ” fi x . “One of the most promising, and most actively-explored – directions in plant immune engineering is targeting conserved pathway ‘hubs’,” adds Subramanian. “Theoretically, that will give you multi-pathogen resistance without having to do pathogen-by-pathogen edits.” The challenge then is to convert “theoretical” into “practically consistent.” STILL NO SILVER BULLET Despite the scientific community’s insistence that no single quickand-easy cure exists for every emerging crop stress, weed species, or insect infestation, gene editing remains part of a larger research vision. It’s a recent development in a broader innovation toolkit that includes conventional breeding, predictive analytics, doubled haploids, genomics, data science, and, where still appropriate, transgenics. “Gene editing can help breeders achieve specific performance goals, but it doesn’t operate in isolation, and it’s not a universal replacement for other tools,” says Cory Christensen, corn pipeline development lead with Corteva Agriscience. “When we refer to gene editing or genome editing in this context, we’re talking about targeted changes made within a crop’s own DNA – without introducing genetic material from another species.” Traits such as disease resistance, yield stability, and plant composition are well-suited to gene editing, while transgenic approaches remain important for specific applications, including select insect-control traits. Multi-disease resistance is likely to be among the first applications to be commercialized by agribusiness stakeholders. Gene editing can be an important tool for discovering and developing solutions that improve crop performance, resilience, or quality. The ability to work with dozens of genes – as stated in the Farm Progress story – is a significant advantage, adds Christensen, particularly using multiple native resistance genes in a defined location in the genome. Although breeders can move resistance genes through repeated crossing and selection, that process becomes increasingly difficult and time-consuming as the number of genes increases. Gene editing can simplify that delivery and make it easier to combine multiple sources of resistance. “Our first-generation concept is designed to deliver resistance to northern leaf blight, gray leaf spot, southern rust, and anthracnose stalk rot,” says Christensen. “Including more than one resistance gene for key diseases can improve the breadth of protection and support durability. In time, we intend to keep expanding the disease targets we can address
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