Genome-editing techniques are promising tools in plant breeding. To facilitate a more comprehensive understanding of the use of genome editing, EU-SAGE developed an interactive, publicly accessible online database of genome-edited crop plants as described in peer-reviewed scientific publications.
The aim of the database is to inform interested stakeholder communities in a transparent manner about the latest evidence about the use of genome editing in crop plants. Different elements including the plant species, traits, techniques, and applications can be filtered in this database.
Regarding the methodology, a literature search in the bibliographic databases and web pages of governmental agencies was conducted using predefined queries in English. Identifying research articles in other languages was not possible due to language barriers. Patents were not screened.
Peer-reviewed articles were screened for relevance and were included in the database based on pre-defined criteria. The main criterium is that the research article should describe a research study of any crop plant in which a trait has been introduced that is relevant from an agricultural and/or food/feed perspective. The database does neither give information on the stage of development of the crop plant, nor on the existence of the intention to develop the described crop plants to be marketed.
This database will be regularly updated. Please contact us via the following webpage in case you would like to inform us about a new scientific study of crops developed for market-oriented agricultural production as a result of genome editing

Genome Editing Technique

Displaying 37 results

Traits related to improved food/feed quality

Amylose-free starch in tubers.
( Toinga-Villafuerte et al., 2022 )
SDN1
CRISPR/Cas
Texas A&
M University, USA
Mutant cell lines doubled the accumulation level of anthocyanins biosynthesized. The production of these important pigments was stabilized over time.
( D'Amelia et al., 2022 )
SDN1
CRISPR/Cas
National Research Council of Italy
University of Naples Federico II
Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Italy
Improved fatty acid content: increased content of oleic acid, reduced erucic acid levels and slightly decreased polyunsaturated fatty acids content. Fatty acid composition is important for human health and shelf life.
(Shi et al., 2022)
SDN1
CRISPR/Cas
Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China
Reduced browning and acrylamide. Acrylamide is a contaminant which forms during the baking, toasting and high-temperature processing of foods and is regarded as a potential carcinogen and neurotoxin.
( Nguyen Phuoc Ly et al., 2023 )
SDN1
CRISPR/Cas
Murdoch University, Australia
Improved cold storage and processing traits: lower levels of reduced sugars
(Yasmeen et al., 2022)
SDN1
CRISPR/Cas
University of the Punjab, Pakistan
Negligible levels of the possibly toxic steroidal glykoalkaloids (SGAs), but enhanced levels of steroidal saponins, which has pharmaceutically useful functions.
( Akiyama et al., 2017 )
SDN1
CRISPR/Cas
Kobe University
Riken Center for Sustainable Resource Science
Osaka University, Japan
Improved starch quality. Starch has many food and technical applications and is often modified to certain specifications.
( Andersson et al., 2017 )
SDN1
CRISPR/Cas
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden
Modified fatty acid profile: increased oleic acid, decreased linoleic and linolenic acid content.
(Huang et al., 2020)
SDN1
CRISPR/Cas
National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, China
Yellow-seed production, a desirable trait with great potential for improving seed quality in Brassica crops. The formation of seed colour is due to the deposition of the oxidized form of a flavonoid, called proanthocyanidins (PA). Yellow seeds have a higher oil content.
( Zhai et al., 2019 )
SDN1
CRISPR/Cas
Huazhong Agricultural University, China
Altered starch properties. Changes in amylopectin chain-lengths, starch granule initiation and branching frequency.
( Tuncel et al., 2019 )
SDN1
CRISPR/Cas
Norwich Research Park, UK
Reduced steroidal glycoalkaloids.
( Yasumoto et al., 2019 )

TALENs
Osaka University
RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science
Kobe University, Japan
Reduction of phytic acid (PA) in seeds. PA has adverse effects on essential mineral absorption and thus is considered as an anti-nutritive for monogastric animals.
( Sashidhar et al., 2020 )
SDN1
CRISPR/Cas
Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel
Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Germany
Reduced content of saturated fatty acids: low palmitic and high oleic acid. Great potential for improving peanut oil quality for human health.
(Tang et al., 2022)
SDN1
CRISPR/Cas
Qingdao Agricultural University, China
Altered lignin composition: decreased syringyl monolignol / guaiacylmonolignol (S/G) ratio. The monolignol ratio has been proposed to affect biomass recalcitrance and the resistance to plant disease.
(Cao et al., 2021)
SDN1
CRISPR/Cas
SouthwestUniversity, China
University of Wisconsin, USA
Increasing seed oil content (SOC).
( Zhang et al., 2022 )
SDN1
CRISPR/Cas
Huazhong University of Science and Technology, China
Improved fatty acid composition. The content and abundance of fatty acids play an important role in nutritional and processing applications of oilseeds.
( Okuzaki et al., 2018 )
SDN1
CRISPR/Cas
Tamagawa University
Osaka Prefecture University
Tamagawa University, Japan
Decreases in palmitic acid, increased total C18 and reduced total saturated fatty acid contents. Reduced saturated fat content is connected to lowered cardiovascular disease rate.
( Gupta et al., 2012 )
SDN1
ZFN
Dow AgroSciences
Sangamo BioSciences, USA
Reduced flavonoids and improved fatty acid composition with higher linoleic acid and linolenic acid, valuable for rapeseed germplasm and breeding. The genetic improvement has great significance in the economic value of rapeseeds.
( Xie et al., 2020 )
SDN1
CRISPR/Cas
Yangzhou University
The Ministry of Education of China, China
University of Western Australia, Australia
High-oleic acid content. Oleic acid has better oxidative stability than linoleic acid due to its monounsaturated nature. High levels of linoleic acid reduces the oxidative stability of cottonseed oil, which can cause rancidity, a short shelf life and production of detrimental trans-fatty acids.
( Chen et al., 2020 )
SDN1
CRISPR/Cas
Cotton Research Center of Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Huazhong Agricultural University, China
Improved fatty acid content: high oleic acid, decreased linoleic acid content. FA composition is important for human health and shelf life.
(Wen et al., 2018)
SDN1
TALENs
Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China
Reduction of harmful ingredients: toxic steroidal glycoalkaloids (SGAs).
(Sawai et al., 2014)
SDN1
TALENs
RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science
Chiba University, Japan
Low erucic acid (EA) content. Composition of fatty acids affects the edible and processing quality of vegetable oils. EA is potentially to cause health problems.
( Liu et al., 2022 )
SDN1
CRISPR/Cas
Huazhong Agricultural University, China
Complete abolition of glycoalkaloids, causing a bitter taste and toxic to various organisms.
( Nakayasu et al., 2018 )
SDN1
CRISPR/Cas
Kobe University, Japan
Starch with an increased amylose ratio and elongated amylopectin chains. In food products, high amylose content and long amylopectin chains contribute to a low glycaemic index (GI) after intake, playing a role in health benefits.
( Zhao et al., 2021 )
SDN1
CRISPR/Cas
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET)
Laboratorio de Agrobiotecnología (INTA), Argentina
Reduction of steroidal glycoalkaloids (SGAs). SGAs in most potato tissues are toxic to humans when the fresh weight is over 200mg/kg. High SGAs content also damage the quality of potato tubers.
( Zheng et al., 2021 )
SDN1
CRISPR/Cas
Qinghai University, China
Improved starch quality by reducing the levels of amylose, thus increasing the amylopectin content.
( Ali et al., 2023 )
SDN1
CRISPR/Cas
Agricultural Genetic Engineering Research Institute (AGERI)
Ain Shams University Faculty of Agriculture, Egypt
Improved seed oil content: increased levels of monounsaturated fatty acids and decreased levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids.
(Wang et al., 2022)
SDN1
CRISPR/Cas
Huazhong Agricultural University, China
National Research Council Canada, Canada
Amylose-free tubers.
( Abeuova et al., 2023 )
SDN1
CRISPR/Cas
National Center for Biotechnology (NCB)
L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University
Nazarbayev University, Kazakhstan
Increased iron content in potato plants. Iron is an essential micronutrient.
( Chauhan et al., 2024 )
SDN1
CRISPR/Cas
Panjab University
Panjab University
National Institute of Plant Genome Research, India
University of Minnesota, USA

Traits related to industrial utilization

Establishment of maternal haploid induction. Doubled haploid technology is used to obtain homozygous lines in a single generation. This technique significantly accelerates the crop breeding trajectory.
( Zhong et al., 2022 )
SDN1
CRISPR/Cas
China Agricultural University, China
Wageningen University and Research, The Netherlands
Guidance for creating male-sterile lines to facilitate hybrid cotton production. Exploit heterosis for improvement of cotton.
( Ma et al., 2022 )
SDN1
CRISPR/Cas
Huazhong Agricultural University
Huanggang Normal University
Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Institute of Cotton Research of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China
Manipulation of flowering time to develop cultivars with desired maturity dates. Stabilization of flowering time and period supports efficient mechanised harvesting.
( Ahmar et al., 2021 )
SDN1
CRISPR/Cas
Huazhong Agricultural University, China
Self-incompatibility to prevent inbreeding in hermaphrodite angiosperms via the rejection of self-pollen.
( Dou et al., 2021 )
SDN1
CRISPR/Cas
Huazhong Agricultural University, China
Generate self-compatible diploid potato lines for the application of efficient breeding methods.
( Enciso-Rodriguez et al., 2021 )
SDN1
CRISPR/Cas
Michigan State University, USA
Generating genic male sterility lines (GMS). GMS can promote heterosis in rapeseed. Compared with other approaches, GMS brings about nearly complete male sterility to a hybrid breeding program.
( Wang et al., 2023 )
SDN1
CRISPR/Cas
Northwest A&
F University
Hybrid Rapeseed Research Centre of Shaanxi Province, China
Reversible complete male sterility. Very precise hormone mediated control of male fertility transition showed great potential for hybrid seed production in Brassica species crops.
( Cheng et al., 2023 )
SDN1
CRISPR/Cas
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs
Henan Normal University, China
Generate self-compatible diploid potato lines for the application of efficient breeding methods.
( Eggers et al., 2021 )
SDN3
CRISPR/Cas
Solynta
Wageningen University &
Research, The Netherlands