Nian Wang, the University of Florida professor leading this CRISPR research team at Lake Alfred, said the tool could cut decades from reaching the holy grail of citrus research — producing varieties immune from the disease that has devastated Florida’s most iconic industry.
“Come back in two or three years, and I’ll show you a tree,” Wang said.
The benefits of CRISPR are not just that it can eliminate genes that make citrus vulnerable to greening. It can replace them with other genes from the same plant, rather than from jellyfish or spinach, as has been the case with some previous genetically modified organisms.
Mostly because CRISPR products don’t borrow genes from other plants or animals, the U.S. Department of Agriculture ruled last spring that they won’t face the same regulation as earlier generations of GMOs.
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“To knock out a specific gene without introducing a new gene would solve the challenge facing growers and would be more acceptable for consumers,” said Larry Black, a grower from Fort Meade.
The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion and analysis. Read full, original post: UF research shows promise in finding cure for citrus greening
