When it comes to new breeding technologies (NBT), the debate is characterised by false narratives. For example, the claim that new breeding technologies promote a concentration on a few companies and varieties in the seed sector. Now, the association ‘Research for Life’ has published a paper that counters such statements on a fact-based level.

The conclusion: new breeding technologies do not restrict diversity in the seed market and even increase agro-biodiversity, as the author Prof. Dr. Sebastian Soyk, Professor of Plant Molecular Biology at the University of Lausanne, writes in the report. For example, genome editing is often used to increase the diversity of crops and strengthen their adaptability.

According to Soyk, the majority of calories consumed worldwide today come from just a handful of crop species. This makes food systems vulnerable to environmental changes, for example. Thanks to genome editing, beneficial properties of wild plants or properties of old crop plants that have been lost during intensive breeding over generations can be made accessible again.

An interesting approach here is so-called ‘de novo domestication’. In this process, key genes of domestication are specifically modified in wild plants using genome editing. In this way, targeted mutation has improved numerous characteristics such as growth habit, fruit size, flower number and nutrient content, without losing their resistance to disease. Similar techniques have also been applied to rice to breed higher-yielding and more resilient varieties.

University of Bern enables better varieties for small farmers

A comparable approach is used for so-called ‘orphan crops’. These are crops that have received little attention from modern plant breeding and have only been grown as niche crops. ‘Orphan crops’ often have rather low demands, but their quality and productivity can fluctuate greatly. Genome editing can help such varieties to flourish.

Research is already being conducted on the relevant issues: Prof. Zerihun Tadele of the University of Bern, for example, is working on improving the orphan crop tef. This is a staple food grown in Ethiopia. The project aims to increase the productivity and resilience of the plant. In particular, it addresses problems such as plant lodging and low yields. By using modern breeding techniques, such as genome editing, the team has managed to bring improved varieties of tef to market that benefit smallholder farmers and perform better in a range of environmental conditions.

As Prof. Dr. Sebastian Soyk goes on to write, there are also niche crops in Switzerland where the approach shows promise. Buckwheat and lupins, for example, could help to increase agro-biodiversity. Lupins are currently gaining in importance in efforts to increase the cultivation of plant proteins in Switzerland. Alongside other old crops, lupins are therefore also part of a new Agroscope research project, ‘Arable Farming in Mountain Areas’ (2024-2026), which aims to increase local value creation with traditional varieties.