Genetically modified varieties are leaving laboratories and reaching homes and gardens

As any avid gardener will tell you, plants with acute thorns and prickles can make you look like you’re dealing with a rabid cat. Wouldn’t it be nice to completely rid your plants of thorns but still keep the tasty fruit and lovely flowers?

I am a geneticist who, together with my colleagues, recently discovered the gene responsible for spikiness among a variety of plants, including roses, eggplants, and even some grasses. Genetically adapted, smooth-stemmed plants could eventually make their way to a garden center near you.

Acceleration of nature

Plants and other organisms evolve naturally over time. When random changes in their DNA, called mutations, escalate survival, they are passed on to offspring. For thousands of yearsPlant breeders have exploited these differences to create high-yielding crop varieties.

In 1983 first genetically modified organismsi.e. GMOs, appeared in agriculture. Golden ricedesigned to combat vitamin A deficiency and Pest resistant corn These are just a few examples of how genetic modification is used to improve crops.

Two recent events have changed the landscape even further. The advent of gene editing using a technique known as CRISPR made it possible to modify plant traits more easily and quickly. If an organism’s genome were a book, CRISPR-based gene editing is akin to adding or deleting sentences here and there.

This tool, combined with the increasing ease with which scientists can sequence an organism’s entire DNA collection – or genome – is rapidly accelerating the process of predictably modifying an organism’s traits.

By Identification of a key gene controlling thorns in eggplantsour team was able to apply gene editing to mutate the same gene in other thorny species, producing polished plants without thorns. In addition to eggplants, we got rid of thorns in desert-adapted wild plant species with edible raisin-like fruits.

We also used a virus to silence the expression of a closely related gene in roses, resulting in a thornless rose.

In nature, the thorns defend the plants from herbivores. However, in cultivation, the edited plants would easier to use – and after harvest the damage to the fruit would be less. It is worth noting that the thornless plants still retain other defense mechanisms, such as epidermal hairs loaded with chemicals, called trichomes which repel insect pests.

From glowing petunias to purple tomatoes

Nowadays, DNA modification technologies are no longer restricted to large-scale agribusiness – they are becoming available directly to consumers.

One way is to mutate certain genes, as we have done with our thornless plants. For example, scientists have created mild in taste but rich in nutrients green mustard by deactivating genes responsible for bitterness. Silencing genes that delay flowering in tomatoes has resulted in compact plants well suited to urban farming.

Another modification approach is to permanently transfer genes from one species to another using recombinant DNA technology, creating what scientists call a transgenic organism.

At a recent party, I found myself in a darkened bathroom to observe the dim delicate coming from the host’s recently acquired firefly petuniawhich contains genes responsible for the bioluminescent glow of the ghost ear mushroom. Scientists have also modified the houseplant pothos with a gene from rabbits, which allows it host of air-filtering microorganisms which promote decomposition harmful volatile organic compounds, or VOCs.

Consumers can also escalate purple tomatogenetically modified to contain pigment-producing genes from the snapdragon plant, resulting in antioxidant-rich tomatoes with a obscure purple hue.

Risks and benefits

Introducing genetically modified crops to the consumer market brings both compelling opportunities and potential challenges.

When genetically modified crops are in the hands of the public, there may be less oversight of what people do with them. For example, there is a risk of release into the environment, which could unforeseen ecological consequences. Furthermore, as the market for these crops expands, the quality of the products may become more variable, requiring fresh or more vigilant consumer protection regulations. Companies could also pursue patent laws that restrict the reuse of seeds, referring to some problems observed in the agricultural sector.

The future of plant genetic technology is vivid—in some cases, literally. Bioluminescent golf courses, houseplants that emit customized scents, or flowers that can change color in response to spray treatments—these are all theoretical possibilities. But as with any powerful technology, careful regulation and oversight will be crucial to ensuring these innovations deliver benefits to consumers while minimizing potential risks.