Gene-edited tomatoes that are resistant to common viruses can be introduced into the U.S. without coming under federal regulations for genetically engineered plants.
The USDA has determined that six tomato lines developed by Nexgen Plants of Australia arenโt potential plant pests and thus donโt fall under the agencyโs jurisdiction for regulating biotech crops.
Nexgen altered the tomatoes with โparticle bombardmentโ of gene sequences that allows the plants to detect and destroy the tomato spotted wilt virus and cauliflower mosaic virus.
โWe only use the native DNA of the plant, we donโt insert any foreign DNA,โ said Philippe Herve, the companyโs CEO.
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Such changes to plant DNA can be accomplished with the use of agrobacterium, which is considered a plant pest, but that would place the tomato lines under USDA regulations for genetic engineering, Herve said.
By relying on particle bombardment and native DNA, the company can now conduct field trials within the U.S. without undergoing the federal deregulation process, he said.
Read full, original article: USDA clears gene-edited, virus-resistant tomatoes
