• BIOTECH
The work at UC Davis Seed Biotechnology Center includes the genetic mapping of wild peppers to identify traits that would ultimately enable things like mechanical harvesting. photo: julie tillman with uc davis
DNA was inserted in approximately 20 percent of the genetically modified tomatoes, she explains.“ That was 25 years ago; this‘ extra DNA’ problem still has not been solved,” Martineau says.
In 2012, the revolutionary gene editing technology, CRIS- PR, hit the market. Introduced by UC Berkeley scientist and co-inventor, Jennifer Doudna, the readily accessible and cost-effective technology allows for the genetic modification of DNA without the use of transgenics. Instead, CRISPR works by turning genes on or off, or by rewriting a portion of genetic code. The democratization of the technology is sweeping across the agricultural, pharmaceutical and biomedical industries. It could be a boon for the vegetable seeds industry, with the potential to enable vegetable breeders to improve their varieties and more readily bring them to market, Bradford says.
“ Gene editing is exciting because it’ s so efficient, way more than GMO, so we can make changes very directed and efficiently in most crops,” says Van Deynze.“[ It ] results in a variety that looks just like plant breeding, and I couldn’ t tell you if it happened naturally or not.”
To date, gene-edited varieties are being evaluated on a case-by-case basis. In 2016, a white button mushroom engineered at Penn State became the first CRISPR-edited organism to be deregulated by the U. S. Department of Agriculture. Scientists and companies in the vegetable seed industry hope that leads to a growing consumer acceptance and adoption in the marketplace.
Meanwhile, companies in the private sector like HM Clause and Bayer CropScience focus their vegetable seed research and development on improving the efficiency of traditional plant breeding, such as genomic mapping, cell biology and biochemistry. The technologies are well understood and noncontroversial, and plant breeding is not subject to regulations.
CULTIVATING COLLABORATION In the Capital Region, the vegetable seed industry is united through Seed Central, a public-private partnership launched in 2010 by the UC Davis Seed Biotechnology Center and Francois Korn, CEO of SeedQuest, a website that aggregates industry insight. For an annual premium membership of $ 2,500, companies small and large can join Seed Central, bridging communication between the industry and UC Davis, stimulating collaborative research. The private sector gains access to new technology from UC Davis, and they provide the university with insight into market needs.
Seed Central also helps companies maintain a solid pipeline of talent and introduces university students to potential employers. Through Seed Central, UC Davis students meet leaders in the global seed industry through monthly networking events.“ That results in a constant flow of intern-
56 comstocksmag. com | January 2018