A team of researchers from Stellenbosch University (SU) and the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) has, for the first time, successfully edited the DNA of a woody crop plant in Africa by making precise changes to its genetic material. This is a major milestone for plant biotechnology on the continent.
Using CRISPR technology, a tool that enables scientists to cut and edit DNA at very specific points, the researchers “switched off” a single gene (VvDMR6.1) in grapevine plants. This gene is linked to how the plants respond to disease.
The researchers say that this change made the plants less vulnerable to downy mildew, a major disease that affects vineyards around the world. The findings of their study were published in Plant Stress recently.
According to the researchers, their study demonstrates how a single targeted genetic change can influence multiple stress responses in plants.
How gene editing improves grapevines
Lead researcher Dr Manuela Campa from the department of genetics at SU said that by editing a gene that makes grapevines more vulnerable to disease, they were able to reduce this vulnerability while also influencing how the plants respond to water shortages.
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“Our research shows how modern gene or genome editing technology can be used to improve grapevines so they are better able to cope with disease and droughts.
“This represents a step toward integrating modern genome editing approaches into African crop improvement programmes, particularly for high-value horticultural crops such as grapevine,” Campa said.
She pointed out that in recent years, scientists have increasingly used genome editing techniques such as CRISPR technology to modify certain genes and increase plants’ resistance to disease.
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Campa noted that an unexpected finding of their study was the reaction of the modified plants to water shortages. “These plants responded better to dry conditions. They were able to conserve water more effectively, suggesting they may be better suited to the increasingly dry conditions expected due to climate change.
“This is an exciting step forward because it indicates that we can make precise changes to plants that improve more than one important trait at the same time,” she said.
Disease and climate change stresses
With grapevines increasingly under pressure from both disease and changing environmental conditions, Campa noted that their study couldn’t have come at a better time, as both pressures are expected to intensify due to climate change.
“Viticulture – planting, managing, and harvesting of grapes – faces significant challenges, as disease outbreaks increase after periods of environmental stress.
“Because grapevines are a high-value crop globally and are especially important to South Africa’s agricultural sector, we must develop varieties that can tolerate multiple stresses simultaneously. This can help us to produce grapes sustainably as conditions become more challenging.”
According to Campa, their findings highlight the potential of genome editing as a powerful tool to improve crops in Africa.
“While genome editing has been widely applied in model plants and several crops globally, its use in woody perennial species has remained limited because of their complex regeneration systems and long breeding cycles.
“This work demonstrates that advanced genome editing technologies can be successfully applied to perennial crops in Africa. It opens the door to new research aimed at developing more sustainable and climate-resilient crops,” Campa said.
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