Put simply, plant breeding improves plants in order to grow better crops with desired characteristics. We have been improving plants for thousands of years – long before breeding existed as a formal discipline. Plant breeding is based on this long history of experience, and the tools that help to achieve these improvements continue to evolve as we learn more about plant biology and genetics.

Plant breeding lets us adapt plants so we can maintain and increase productivity and improve product qualities considering changing climatic, agricultural and market conditions. Plant breeding has significantly contributed to reducing environmental footprint of plant production, increasing the diversity of products and improving the economic situation of agriculture.

The continued development of new varieties is vital to meet farmer needs, market requirements and consumer demands. By domesticating wild species, we have developed fruit and vegetables with desired characteristics, such as colour, shape, size and taste. Ultimately, plant breeding helps to feed future generations by securing a sustainable, nutritious food supply. Without plant breeding we would not have the variety and quality we see in today’s marketplace.

Plant breeders develop new plant varieties by improving and combining different useful characteristics. For farmers, these characteristics may be disease resistance or drought tolerance; for consumers, nutritional quality, flavour or appearance; for food manufacturers and retailers, baking quality or shelf life.

Today’s plant breeders integrate knowledge from a range of scientific disciplines, such as plant biology, genetics, physiology, statistics, bioinformatics, and molecular biology. Breeding programs are often managed by teams of scientists from many different fields of expertise. To develop new varieties, plant breeders use a variety of tools ranging from cross-breeding to gene editing, as illustrated in the ISF ‘Milestones’ infographic, which is available in English, French, Spanish and Dutch, in the ISF Resource Bank.

Other resources include various short films produced by Euroseeds and the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA), and available on their respective You Tube channels:

To meet some plant breeders and find out more about their work, have a look at these plant breeder profiles from around the world by CropLife International: Food Heroes.

For information about  plant breeding innovation, with a focus on gene editing, and its benefits for our planet, health and food you can visit the site: Innovature

Since the first seed was planted, farmers selected and grew the best and heartiest crops from one year to the next. As the world and science progressed, plant breeding developed into a formal discipline with breeders continuing to have a better understanding of plants and the breeding process.

Among the scientific breakthroughs, the following three had a significant impact on plant breeding and formed the basis of plant breeders’ learning from nature to improve plants.

• Camerarius proved in 1696 that – like animals and humans – plants have sex organs. This knowledge led to cross-breeding, which gave rise to greater diversity from which to select desirable plants. It took until the 19^th century, however, before this knowledge was applied to major field crops.
• Mendel’s Laws of Heredity (1865) described the principles governing inheritance in plants. This turned plant breeding into a science because the outcome of a cross could now be predicted quantitatively. This allows for more efficient selection methods.
• Watson & Crick (1953) described the structure of DNA which later became the basis of various applications of molecular biology in plant breeding, such as the use of molecular markers, which greatly increase efficiency in selection; and gene editing which allows for targeted mutagenesis.

Over time, an increased understanding of plant biology and genetics has enabled plant breeders to develop more efficient breeding methods and to identify, study and utilize positive characteristics available within the plant, such as disease resistance, drought tolerance or product qualities such as colour, taste, and shelf life. These discoveries enable the continuous development of new plant varieties better adapted to meet current and future challenges that agriculture and society are facing.

See the ISF ‘Milestones’ infographic which charts the evolution of plant breeding from crop domestication to gene editing – available in English, French, Spanish and Dutch, in the ISF Resource Bank.

‘Plant breeding innovation’ is the term used by the international seed sector and plant scientists worldwide to describe the continuous evolution of plant breeding methods. Breeders use many methods in their breeding programs to increase genetic variability, increase breeding efficiency and evaluate their breeding materials.

Today’s innovations in plant breeding utilize sophisticated methods and disciplines, such as cell biology, genome and proteome research, gene mapping and marker-assisted breeding, which have enabled the development of other innovative methods such as gene editing to generate variation.

The term ‘plant breeding innovation’ is not limited to a particular group of methods, nor it is defined by them, but rather reflects the continuum of innovation in plant breeding[1].

[1] In some parts of the world, terms like new breeding techniques (NBT) or new genomic techniques (NGT) may also describe a group of tools that would be considered plant breeding innovation

With a global population that is estimated to reach 10 billion by 2050 (according to www.world.population.co.uk), and increasingly scarce arable land, one of the most significant benefits of plant breeding innovation is supporting sustainable agriculture and food security.

Plant breeding has always played an important role in adapting crops to meet new and evolving demands. Changes in agriculture, consumer and societal demands are occurring at an increasing speed and therefore rely on continuously improving the efficiency of plant breeding processes as well. Plant breeding innovations are key enablers as breeders strive to meet the needs of consumers, a changing climate and increasing population.

a) Farmer benefits

• Plant breeding innovation provides farmers with improved seeds adapted to their needs, which leads to more reliable harvests and stable incomes and increased market access.
• Plant breeding innovation can be used to produce plants that can better resist pests and diseases, enabling more choice and flexibility for farmers, and potentially requiring fewer crop inputs.
• As a result of innovations in plant breeding, breeders can improve efficiency and effectiveness of delivering improved seeds to farmers and subsequently to consumers, by reducing the development time of new varieties; by rapidly adapting crops and plant varieties to a changing climate, as well as increasing options for weed, disease and pest management.

b) Environmental benefits

• Plant breeding innovation results in improved seed that can increase yields that can support decreasing greenhouse gas emissions and reducing the environmental impact of crop production. This also means more land that supports flora and fauna biodiversity can remain untouched by agricultural production, helping to preserve natural habitats.
• By creating improved plant varieties that are better able to withstand attacks from pests and diseases, farmers can reduce and optimize the applications of crop inputs supporting a smaller environmental footprint for agriculture.
• Plant breeding innovation has been integral to improving and developing new energy [or dual use] crops for the biofuels industry.

c) Consumer benefits

• Plant breeding innovation enables breeders to meet consumer expectations more readily with improved plants that provide longer-lasting, fresh, nutritious and affordable food, as well as fuel, feed and fibre.
• Plant breeding innovation contributes to the health and well-being of consumers, for example, low-gluten cereal varieties for people with sensitivities, and fruits and vegetables with improved nutritional value. Additionally, it has the potential to enhance quality of life through the development of flowers, trees and turf for sustainable green spaces.
• Plant breeding innovation can help protect crops such as banana, orange, coffee and cocoa that are in danger of being wiped out by diseases for which there is no current treatment, and ensures they remain plentiful and affordable.

For additional information, please visit the following resources: ISF online Resource Bank, Innovature, Best Food Facts, Nature Nurtured.

Agriculture involves a series of choices, which are necessary to balance environmental impacts, farmers’ livelihoods, and the need to grow more food for the growing world population in a sustainable way. When farmers can choose seeds most adapted to their land and farming system, it raises the likelihood of better yields. Diversity of seed choices also helps farmers fight pests and disease, and allows them to adjust their farming systems to changing climate patterns.

Access to improved seeds ensures farmers can participate in more sustainable agricultural systems that integrate precision agriculture and digital tools. In the future, gene-edited crops can play an important role in enhancing the sustainability of many different agricultural systems; regenerative practices, precision technology, and organic farming practices may be able to leverage advancements in gene-edited crops.

Plant breeders have a long track record of developing high-quality and safe varieties. A defining feature of plant breeding is the extensive and rigorous official and private testing of candidate varieties to ensure the release of new products that meet breeding objectives for better quality and taste, agronomic performance, climate resilience or harvestability and processing.

The development of new plant varieties involves the selection of plants with the desired characteristics after iteratively crossing existing varieties to create new genetic combinations. Importantly, most of these existing varieties are derived from varieties with a long history of safe use.

Plant breeders test for a range of characteristics to meet consumer needs like taste, colour and texture. They also test for characteristics that are less obvious to consumers like yield, pest resistance and consistency of performance in diverse environments and conditions. In certain crops, functional characteristics are evaluated to assure that the variety will be suitable for specific food or feed uses.

Because the environment can influence the expression of certain characteristics, plant breeders typically evaluate candidate varieties in multiple environments over several years or plant generations to ensure consistency of performance. The scrutiny that plant breeders routinely apply to the development of new varieties is the foundation for a food supply that is safe, nutritious and diverse.

One of the latest innovations in plant breeding is gene editing.  Gene editing is a group of methods that enables plant breeders to make precise changes to the plant’s own genetic material (DNA), which can improve their productivity and sustainability. The genetic variation made with gene editing often mirrors changes that could occur in nature or through traditional breeding. The most recent and widely researched gene editing method uses a system termed CRISPR-Cas. CRISPR stands for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats.

To see how gene editing and CRISPR work, you can find short films on YouTube:

• Gene editing and beyond
• CRISPR-Cas for healthy seed development
• Gene editing used in plant breeding

Plant scientists and breeders are working on CRISPR-edited versions of crops, with improved characteristics for farmers and consumers.

Gene editing is part of the continuum of plant breeding innovation and builds on years of scientific advances and the increased understanding of plant genetics. Gene editing allows breeders to work within a plant’s own gene pool to reach the same endpoint as they would through more traditional breeding methods–but with greater precision and efficiency than older methods of plant breeding.

Yes. As of early 2022 there are two gene edited products commercially available include soybeans, lettuce, and tomato. The first product, a high oleic soybean, was launched in 2019 and it was marketed in the Upper Midwest United States. In 2021, a gene-edited tomato was commercialized in Japan. The tomato contains high levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), an amino acid believed to aid relaxation and help lower blood pressure.

No. Plant breeding innovation is based on accumulated knowledge and experience over hundreds of years. Gene editing is an additional tool in the plant breeder’s toolbox that is used to generate genetic variation that is needed to develop new plant varieties with characteristics to address environmental and consumer needs.

The development of newer plant breeding methods has not led to a replacement of the older methods, nor will it do so in the future. Depending on the problems plant breeders are trying to solve, they must be able to choose the tools that enable them to reach their breeding goals in the most efficient and specific way. The bottom line is that working with plants in the field still remains the core of the plant breeding process.

For more information, visit the ISF infographic ‘Plant breeders’ response to global challenges’ in the ISF Resource Bank or Euroseeds infographic about Plant Breeding Innovation as part of Breeding Cycle.

A strong intellectual property protection system fosters innovation because it rewards risk-taking and investment with a limited period of exclusive use, after which the product is in the public domain.

Plant breeding innovation plays a key role in driving long-term agricultural productivity, rural development, and environmental sustainability by encouraging the creation of new solutions. The seed sector (public and private) is one of the world’s most research and development-intensive industries. As is the case for other research-intensive sectors, companies, and public research institutes involved in innovation depend on a stable environment for the protection of intellectual property to ensure further R&D investments and maintain a strong innovative base.

Worldwide, many of the patent holders on latest plant breeding methods (such as CRISPR technologies) are universities and research institutes. The patent landscape for gene editing is dynamic and rapidly evolving in key countries and globally. Since the early days of CRISPR use, the number of patents describing these tools has increased. These patents originate from Asia, Europe and the United States.

Since the patent landscape for latest plant breeding methods (such as CRISPR technologies) is rapidly changing, it is important to get updated information from the public patent databases such as the Worldwide Espacenet or Patentscope.

In general, the latest plant breeding tools could be available to plant breeders through licensing, including those at academic and public research institutes, and companies of all sizes, from multinationals to small and medium-sized enterprises.

The seed sector is encouraging the use of licensing platforms to promote the dissemination of knowledge and facilitate access to innovation at fair conditions. In most countries, intellectual property-protected breeding tools like CRISPR, are available to plant breeders through licensing agreements. Most IP holders have established out-licensing policies and processes that facilitate access that support further innovation. For example, early developers involved with CRISPR technology have created partnerships with newly formed companies, or established industry players, to out-license gene editing technologies for medical, agricultural, and industrial applications. In the case of CRISPR, certain patent holders provide free licenses for academic and not-for-profit research. They also provide non-exclusive, royalty-bearing licenses to breeding companies that want to use CRISPR for commercial purposes.

It is important to keep in mind that, even though there may be broad access to gene editing methods, successful application to develop plants with specific characteristics depends on the availability of genetic information, an understanding of gene function, and the availability of enabling methodologies like tissue culture and plant regeneration methods.

Depending on national patent laws, the techniques and/or the characteristics resulting from gene editing may or may not be eligible for patents. Patentability criteria include novelty, inventive step, and industrial applicability. All patent rights are time limited and are published, they have geographical limitations and, while some countries do not permit breeding with plants containing patented characteristics, many allow research and breeding with patented elements.

ISF and its members are committed to creating an environment that fosters innovation whilst protecting the investments by plant breeders. This includes supporting the development of tools and approaches that facilitate access to improved seeds whilst balancing the need to protect investments – for example company licensing initiatives or licensing platforms.

IP Licensing initiatives used by the seed sector increase transparency about relevant patent portfolio and offer opportunities for plant breeders, large and small to access trait innovations, including those developed through gene editing, on fair conditions. Some seed companies offer electronic licensing systems as well as standard licenses which aim to make contract processing user-friendly, limit the transaction efforts and costs to a minimum and support compliance.

The mutual granting of intellectual property rights between actors in the value chain (so-called cross-licensing) can also be handled via some of these initiatives. The needs of small breeding companies especially are also supported by the approaches adopted by some individual seed companies.

For more information, see the ISF View on Intellectual Property.

Intellectual property protection rights are equally applicable to varieties developed using conventional methods or plant breeding innovation like gene editing. Therefore, the ability for farmers to save seeds of a variety, will depend on the variety’s IP protection status and the national legal framework.

The foundation of variety identification for plant variety protection is based on phenotypical characteristics and therefore genetic sequence information or molecular markers may not automatically be available or used in variety protection. Additionally, the genetic information when used in supporting plant variety protection is not necessarily associated with specific sequence change that may or may not be introduced through gene editing.

A growing number of countries have policies based on an overarching principle that plants resulting from latest breeding methods with genetic changes comparable to the outcomes that could occur spontaneously in nature or via traditional breeding are not differentially regulated from traditionally bred plants. These countries follow the generally accepted legal principle of non-discrimination, so that that like products are regulated in the same way. Nevertheless, this doesn’t mean that these plants are unregulated. All plant varieties are regulated, regardless of the method used to develop them, through systems including variety registration, seed laws and regulations, phytosanitary regulations, general environmental safety/liability laws as well as general food/feed laws and regulations for food products derived from these plants.

ISF believes that alignment around the scope of regulatory oversight for gene edited products is critical to fostering innovation and competitiveness. A key component of government evaluations is the intent of their current legislative frameworks and with this the interpretation of their GMO or other associated definitions. Most countries are considering how or if these definitions apply to plants developed with the latest breeding methods.

The seed sector is an international business. Countries should consider the global impacts that different regulatory processes may have on global seed movement, exchange and access to germplasm globally, agriculture, trade and research collaborations. If policies for plants developed through plant breeding innovations are not aligned globally, this will limit the ability of researchers and commercial developers to use the entire range of innovative plant breeding tools.

Different regulatory approaches for plants resulting from the latest breeding methods could also lead to enforcement difficulties, trade limitations and disruptions, and put some operators at a competitive disadvantage, with further negative consequences. This includes the creation of technical barriers to trade, potentially leading to disputes between countries. Regulatory barriers would particularly affect small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and small-scale operators seeking to gain market access with products from new breeding methods, even though many stakeholders see opportunities for them in this sector.

As products of plant breeding innovation began to near commercialization it raised the question of whether these plant varieties should be assessed and managed under existing GMO/biotechnology regulations, or whether they should be regulated in the same way as traditional plant varieties.

The International Seed Federation promotes innovation in plant breeding, and advocates for government policies that are based on sound scientific principles. Consistent science-based policies regarding products of plant breeding innovation are necessary to ensure that farmers and consumers around the world can have full and timely access to the benefits of plant varieties developed through the latest breeding methods.

ISF advocates for the application of consistent criteria in government policy based on the following principle:

‘Plant varieties developed through the latest breeding methods should not be differentially regulated if they are similar or indistinguishable from varieties that could have been produced through earlier breeding methods or could occur in nature.’

No. The regulatory status for plants resulting from the latest breeding methods is not linked to the question if they can be protected by intellectual property rights such as patents. These are unrelated questions and governed by different legal frameworks each having different objectives.

For example, if a gene-edited product is excluded from national GMO/biotechnology regulations it may still be protectable by an IP right, and vice versa. If a product falls under GMO/biotechnology regulation it may not meet the criteria to obtain an IP right.

Products resulting from the latest breeding methods as well as certain breeding tools can be protected under applicable intellectual property protection system(s) (depending on national law) if they meet the criteria of the specific IPR system, such as novelty, distinctness, stability, uniformity for PVP inventive step, industrial applicability and/or enabling disclosure for patent.

Further reading: https://worldseed.org/document/gene-editing-fact-sheet-3/

Although unintended mutations do not pose unique safety concerns, plant breeders use well-established plant breeding and selection practices for new plant variety development that effectively identify and remove off-type plants while retaining plants with the desired, improved characteristics.  Off-types due to introduced mutations, regardless of whether they are spontaneous, induced, or through gene editing, will similarly be removed and not be selected for commercialization.

Breeders take a number of measures to minimize unintended changes when using gene editing tools. These measures include applying a combination of biology and computer science (bioinformatic) tools to ensure specific, targeted changes and to minimize off-target edits. Plant scientists continue to develop improved design and evaluation strategies and tools to increase the precision and accuracy of gene editing applications.

Unintended mutations that result in undesirable new characteristics are considered by plant breeders as “off-types” and breeders have long standing breeding practices that are effective in eliminating these off-type plants. These standard practices have been refined throughout the history of plant breeding and are commonly implemented regardless of what types of breeding tools are used.

Further reading: https://worldseed.org/document/gene-editing-fact-sheet-2/

Plant breeders use recent advancements such as gene editing to develop improved crops that are important to the agriculture food chain and the consumer, all while using well-documented and thorough quality management processes. As much as plant breeding is a process of selecting beneficial plant characteristics, it’s also a process of eliminating undesirable characteristics. That continues to be true for new varieties developed when the genetic variation is generated using gene editing tools.

Before any new plant variety, including those developed using gene editing, is made commercially available, it undergoes a series of evaluations and tests over the course of multiple generations. This includes geographic adaptation trials—ensuring that the gene-edited candidate variety can grow in different areas and climates without adversely affecting the crop’s performance.

For more information visit: Plant breeding is safe by design

Unintended effects are, as the term suggests, effects other than those which are desired. Unintended effects can be caused by unintended mutations. In the context of traditional breeding unintended effects can result from spontaneous mutations or from classically induced mutations through irradiation/chemicals. These unintended mutations can be numerous and can occur at random locations. With gene editing, off-target mutations can also occur; however, they are much less numerous, and can be mitigated with the proper design of gene editing reagents, which are continuously being improved.

The seed sector is encouraged to provide information about breeding methods that are used for various crops to a diversity of stakeholders including regulators, the agricultural value chain and the public. Due to different expectations from value chains and consumers around the world, there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to information sharing that will work for all stakeholders in all countries.

The seed sector recognizes that different stakeholders will desire different types and levels of information. The information shared by seed companies may vary from company to company, by stakeholder group, and by geography depending on the intended audience for that information.

Irrespective of the breeding method used, individual seed companies are also encouraged to share information on their commercial products with their customers and third parties according to their business, marketing, and commercialization plans while respecting confidential business information.

See ISF’s Guideline on Information Sharing

Seed companies are encouraged to consult with stakeholders (including regulators and the value chain) when the use of gene editing is for the development of a commercial product and not purely for research and discovery purposes.

Yes. Gene-edited products can be detected, but it is more difficult than detection of GMOs. Generally, to detect a gene-edited product, additional information about the specific change and its location in the genome is required

Gene edits often can result in changes that are indistinguishable from variation that could have arisen by various means (traditional breeding tools, or as a result of spontaneous genetic variation from generation to generation.)

GMO detection relies on the presence of a ‘transgene’ or ‘GM event’ in the plant. This transgene provides a unique sequence for the development of DNA-based detection methods. Gene editing may not result in a DNA sequence change that is large enough, or unique enough to develop a detection method that is reliable for regulatory purposes.

Value-added products for which there is no specific detection methods are not new, or unusual. For example, free-range eggs, shade-grown coffee, grass fed beef, and anything sold as organic all inform consumer choice without relying on detection methods. Rather, these products rely on either traceability or certification schemes through the value chain.