Accelerating the Domestication of New Crops: Feasibility and Approaches

Jeppe Thulin Østerberg; Wen Xiang; Lene Irene Olsen; Anna Kristina Edenbrandt; Suzanne Elizabeth Vedel; Andreas Christiansen; Xavier Landes; Martin Marchman Andersen; Peter Pagh; Peter Sandøe; John Nielsen; Søren Brøgger Christensen; Bo Jellesmark Thorsen; Klemens Kappel; Christian Gamborg; Michael Palmgren

doi:10.1016/j.tplants.2017.01.004

Accelerating the Domestication of New Crops: Feasibility and Approaches

Trends Plant Sci. 2017 May;22(5):373-384. doi: 10.1016/j.tplants.2017.01.004. Epub 2017 Mar 2.

Authors

Jeppe Thulin Østerberg¹, Wen Xiang², Lene Irene Olsen¹, Anna Kristina Edenbrandt³, Suzanne Elizabeth Vedel³, Andreas Christiansen⁴, Xavier Landes⁴, Martin Marchman Andersen⁴, Peter Pagh², Peter Sandøe⁵, John Nielsen⁶, Søren Brøgger Christensen⁶, Bo Jellesmark Thorsen³, Klemens Kappel⁴, Christian Gamborg³, Michael Palmgren⁷

Affiliations

¹ Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871 Frederiksberg C, Denmark.
² Center for Public Regulation and Administration, Faculty of Law, University of Copenhagen, Studiestræde 6, 1455 Copenhagen K, Denmark.
³ Department of Food and Resource Economics, University of Copenhagen, Rolighedsvej 23, 1958 Frederiksberg C, Denmark.
⁴ Department of Media, Cognition, and Communication, University of Copenhagen, Karen Blixens Vej 4, 2300 Copenhagen S, Denmark.
⁵ Department of Large Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 1870 Frederiksberg C, Denmark.
⁶ Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 2, 2100 Copenhagen Østerbro, Denmark.
⁷ Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871 Frederiksberg C, Denmark. Electronic address: palmgren@plen.ku.dk.

PMID: 28262427
DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2017.01.004

Abstract

The domestication of new crops would promote agricultural diversity and could provide a solution to many of the problems associated with intensive agriculture. We suggest here that genome editing can be used as a new tool by breeders to accelerate the domestication of semi-domesticated or even wild plants, building a more varied foundation for the sustainable provision of food and fodder in the future. We examine the feasibility of such plants from biological, social, ethical, economic, and legal perspectives.

Publication types

Review
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Agriculture / methods*
Crops, Agricultural / genetics
Crops, Agricultural / metabolism
Crops, Agricultural / physiology*
Domestication