In a decision that could affect the future of sustainable agriculture, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has officially approved two new gene-edited canola traits developed by ag-tech company Cibus. As reported by SeedWorld, the ruling confirms that they're not considered traditional GMOs under current guidelines, clearing the way for faster development and commercialization of climate-resilient crops.
Unlike traditional genetic modification, which involves inserting foreign DNA into a plant, Cibus's Rapid Trait Development System works more like precision editing with a scalpel. It targets changes within the plant's existing genome, without introducing outside material. That distinction is the reason Cibus can move ahead without hopping over time-consuming regulatory hurdles linked to GMOs.
One of the traits from Cibus includes a canola variety resistant to Sclerotinia, or white mold, a fungal disease responsible for up to 15% yield loss across North American fields. Infected plants can lose as much as half their harvest, driving up costs for farmers and impacting food supply chains. Cibus' gene-edited trait gives crops a more durable defense while reducing reliance on chemical fungicides — a win for growers, consumers, and the environment.
"New tools are critically important as climate change continues to shift the distribution and prevalence of plant diseases," said Greg Gocal, Cibus co-founder. He added that these advances could also be applied to crops like soybeans, expanding the reach of this technology across even more regions of farmland.
Canada has already embraced science-based regulations for gene editing, and the EU is moving in a similar direction, considering exemptions for edits that could have occurred through traditional breeding or in nature. This opens the door for faster, safer rollouts of food-secure crops that can withstand extreme weather and disease — problems that are only getting worse with rising global temperatures.
By helping farmers grow healthier, more resilient crops with fewer chemical inputs, it reduces the need for fungicides and other treatments that often pollute soil and water. That not only helps clean up our agricultural systems but also leads to healthier ecosystems and communities. Fewer contaminants in our air and water is a win for human health. And with crops that better withstand disease and climate stress, consumers are more likely to see steady food prices and reliable harvests.
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With regulations finally catching up to science, Cibus's canola could reach American farms sooner rather than later, offering an example of how agricultural innovation can help feed a warming world, without compromising safety or sustainability.
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