Publications – Publikationen

de Souza G., de Oliveira J. R.(2026): Genetic Manipulation of Plants: A More-than-Human Ethical Challenge

Philosophies 11 (4), 114 | https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies11040114

The central argument of this article is that the genetic manipulation of plants raises profound ethical questions that cannot be adequately addressed within a purely anthropocentric framework. Drawing on Hans Jonas’s philosophy of responsibility, the article argues that modern biotechnology transforms living organisms into objects of technological intervention, thereby challenging traditional distinctions between subject and object in the domain of technology. Because plants are living beings that possess their own intrinsic good and play a fundamental role in the biosphere, their genetic manipulation must be evaluated not only in terms of human utility but also in relation to ecological integrity, intergenerational responsibility, and the preservation of life’s evolutionary continuity. The article proposes an approach that remains largely unexplored in the international literature: interpreting plant genetic engineering through the lens of Jonasian ontology of life and the ethics of responsibility, thereby moving the debate beyond the limits of traditional anthropocentrism.

https://www.mdpi.com/2409-9287/11/4/114

Borgdorf, L., Delanoue, E., Candek-Potokar, M. et al. (2026): Attitudes towards Genome Editing in Farmed Animals – a Cross-

Cultural Study. Food ethics 11, 23 | https://doi.org/10.1007/s41055-026-00205-4

Animal agriculture faces increasing moral and societal scrutiny. The GEroNIMO project aims to address challenges such as sustainability, welfare, and genetic diversity through genomic innovations. The ongoing debate about genome editing is mostly driven by experts from few disciplines with an emphasis on technical and science-based arguments resembling consequentialist reasoning without making systematic comparisons. To increase the range of arguments and stakeholders, we conducted eight focus groups (n = 70) in Germany, the Netherlands, France, and Slovenia, representing rural and urban groups. Furthermore, we discussed alternative or complementary technologies to genome editing such as cultivated meat to both allow for systematic comparisons and to scrutinise the extent to which attitudes towards specific food technologies rely on general attitudes towards food technology. Guided by Critical Applied Ethics and Moral Foundation Theory, we identified underlying moral intuitions of the participants without uncritically adopting their arguments. Across all groups, benefits for animal welfare, fairness and transparency in economic motives, and trust in institutions emerged as key conditions for responsible use of genome editing in animal agriculture. While these concerns were broadly shared, participants from the Netherlands and Germany expressed relatively more openness towards technological food innovation, compared to those from France and Slovenia, within the scope of this qualitative study. Our findings highlight the need to understand the cultural and intuitive dimensions of moral reasoning for effective public engagement and responsible development of emerging food and breeding technologies. In particular, concerns rooted in feelings of disgust deserve deeper scrutiny rather than being addressed with harm-based arguments, which fail to address the moral roots of disgust.

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s41055-026-00205-4

Brukhin V. (2026): Evolution of Epigenetic Regulation in Plant Reproduction. Epigenomes 10 (3), 48 |

https://doi.org/10.3390/epigenomes10030048

Epigenetic regulation has played a fundamental role in the evolution of plant reproduction. Across more than a billion years, ancestral genome-defense mechanisms in early eukaryotes were progressively expanded, diversified, and repurposed throughout the green lineage. Streptophyte algae assembled the first plant-specific methylation and small RNA systems, providing pre-adaptations for terrestrial reproduction. In bryophytes and early vascular plants, these systems became integrated into gametophyte development, sporogenesis, and meiotic genome protection. Seed plants experienced substantial diversification and expansion of chromatin regulators and small RNA machinery, enabling increasingly sophisticated control of cone, ovule, and embryo development. Angiosperms underwent the most dramatic rewiring of epigenetic pathways, including gene-family diversification, subfunctionalization, and the emergence of genomic imprinting, endosperm-specific demethylation, and lineage-specific reproductive small RNAs such as phasiRNAs. Convergent solutions, including imprinting, meiotic transposable element (TE) silencing, and TE-derived regulatory elements, arose independently across lineages. Rather than reflecting the emergence of entirely new molecular machinery, these innovations illustrate repeated functional co-option and regulatory rewiring of deeply conserved epigenetic modules. Ecological and life-history pressures further shaped epigenetic diversification, linking environmental stress, mating systems, and domestication to reproductive epigenetic plasticity. Recent evidence further demonstrates that epigenetic plasticity underlies the recurrent evolution of alternative reproductive strategies such as apomixis and contributes to reproductive responses to environmental stress. Advances in comparative epigenomics, single-cell technologies, and epigenome editing are now providing unprecedented opportunities to reconstruct the evolutionary history of reproductive epigenetic pathways and to harness them for crop improvement. Together, these findings reveal epigenetic regulation as a dynamic, modular, and deeply evolvable framework that has repeatedly enabled reproductive innovation throughout plant evolution.

https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4655/10/3/48

Ahmad A, Faheem M., Ijaz A., Niamat A., ul Huda N. (2026): Beyond GMOs: transgene-free gene-edited crops for global food

security.  Front. Plant Sci., Sec. Plant Biotechnology Volume 17 - 2026 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2026.1738485

Transgene-free gene-editing has transformed the genomic landscape of crops by enabling targeted, precise, and predictable genetic outcomes without integrating any foreign DNA into the host genome. It has significantly reduced production time and costs, and the regulatory burden for transgene-free gene-edited crops, while improving social acceptance compared with classical transgenic crops. This review compares the transgene-free gene-edited, transgenic, and cisgenic crops. We also focus on core methods for developing transgene-free gene-edited crops, particularly ribonucleoprotein (RNP), transient expression, the transgene killer method, and HI-edit technology. We highlight the practical examples summarizing CRISPR applications for transgene-free gene-edited crops, including cereals, legumes, and oilseeds, and horticultural crops. We also analyze the rapidly evolving global regulatory landscape of transgene-free gene-edited crops, including the recent European Union movement towards differentiated oversight for certain “new genomic techniques (NGTs)” that do not introduce foreign DNA, while maintaining the strict risk assessment for complex modifications. We also summarize the social, ethical, and public perception aspects of transgene-free gene-edited crops compared with traditional GMOs. Finally, we highlight the emerging role of AI in developing precise transgene-free gene-edited crops and the contributions these crops make to global food security. Collectively, this evidence supports the growing role of transgene-free gene-edited crops in scientific developments and real-world agricultural deployment, with remaining bottlenecks in delivery for recalcitrant crops, scalable and universal regulation, detection and traceability of the Cas footprints, and equitable access.

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2026.1738485/full?utm_source=F-NTF&utm_medium=EMLX&utm_campaign=PRD_FEOPS_20170000_ARTICLE

Mladenov V., Šućur R., Banjac B., Čurčić M. et al. (2026): Faster, Smarter, Precise: Integrating Speed Breeding and CRISPR-

Based New Genomic Techniques into the Conventional Cereal Breeding Pipeline

Generation time is the principal bottleneck constraining genetic gain in plant breeding. Speed breeding (SB) addresses this by simultaneously managing photoperiod, light spectrum and intensity, temperature, CO2 concentration, mineral nutrition, growing substrate volume, and post-harvest seed dormancy, enabling four to seven generations per year in long-day cereals and legumes, and four to five generations in optimised short-day systems. This review sets the conventional pedigree framework as the benchmark against which SB is evaluated; synthesises validated environmental parameters and crop-specific protocols; and examines principal SB applications in hybridisation, genomic selection, disease-resistance screening, and allele introgression. A structured comparison of major review and protocol papers identifies broad consensus on core parameters alongside genuine divergence on far-red light supplementation. Critical evaluation addresses genotype-by-environment interaction, incomplete trait coverage, infrastructure costs, and unresolved questions on biological integrity of rapidly advanced generations. The review further discusses new genomic techniques (NGTs), particularly CRISPR/Cas9-based gene editing, in the context of the EU’s June 2026 NGT regulation, under which Category 1 plants carrying only targeted endogenous modifications are exempt from GMO authorisation. When combined with SB, this regulatory shift can compress the interval from gene-editing event to registered variety from decades to a few years. Speed breeding, NGTs, and conventional field-based selection are most productively treated as complementary elements of a unified pipeline.

https://www.preprints.org/frontend/manuscript/d27367eaac69075e6aca05a6896fffcd/download_pub

Huang X., He W. S., Bassie L., Christou P., Capell T. (2026): Genome editing in rice: toward climate-resilient, nutrient-rich

yields. Trends in Plant Science 31 (7), 925-937 | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tplants.2026.02.007

Rice is the main source of calories for more than half of the world’s population, so yields must increase to feed an estimated 5 billion people by 2050, despite the effects of resource depletion and climate change. The urgent demand for resilient, higher-yielding varieties cannot be met by conventional breeding, which is too slow, or transgenesis, which is burdened by regulatory issues. In contrast, genome editing enables precise, efficient, and transgene-free improvements for gene knockouts. This review covers major advances in rice genome editing since 2020, including innovations in base and prime editing, multiplex editing, and delivery. We highlight applications that improve yield, abiotic and biotic stress resilience, and nutritional quality, as well as challenges and future directions affecting precision, delivery, and regulatory policy.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1360138526000312

Zhao K., Gong F., Chi X., Li G., Zhao C. et al. (2026): A decade of advances in peanut science and breeding in China:

Genomic insights and future breeding strategies. Journal of Integrative Agriculture | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jia.2026.07.007

Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is a key oil and protein crop in China, playing a critical role in national food and oil security. Over the past decade, rapid advances in high-throughput sequencing, multi-omics integration, genome-wide association studies, genomic selection, and gene editing have driven a transition from conventional breeding to data-driven molecular design breeding. This review synthesizes major developments in peanut production and consumption patterns in China, elucidates domestication processes and the formation of genetic diversity, and highlights breakthroughs from diploid ancestor genomes to telomere-to-telomere assemblies and pangenomes. We summarize functional markers and genes underlying yield, quality, and resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses, and outline opportunities for integrating genome editing, artificial intelligence (AI), and big-data-enabled design breeding. Innovations in dissecting the regulatory networks of complex traits, exploiting wild germplasm, and integrating multi-technology approaches will be critical to advancing China’s peanut industry from traditional to AI-design-oriented development.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095311926002972

Bao Z., Wang H., Zhang A., Gao R., Gu W. et al. (2026): Roots navigate around decay regions by sensing local pH gradients.

Science. 393 (6807) | https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adw6568

INTRODUCTION: Plants grow in complex and heterogeneous soil environments, where roots must anchor the plant, acquire water and nutrients, and cope with environmental stresses. To navigate such environments, plants have evolved tropisms, directional growth responses to environmental stimuli. Classical tropisms described since Darwin’s time are primarily driven by abiotic cues, such as gravity, light, water, and salinity. However, soil is also a biologically dynamic ecosystem shaped by shifting microbial communities. Microbial decay of dead plant material is ubiquitous in soils and drives decomposition and nutrient recycling, creating localized decay zones with intense microbial activity. Whether and how living roots can sense and actively avoid these underground decay zones to reduce the risk of infection by spoilage microbes remains unknown.

RATIONALE: To address these questions, we first tested whether decaying plant material constituted a hostile environment for root growth. We then established localized decay zones adjacent to roots in both natural soil and split agar systems to observe root growth responses. Roots exhibited robust, directional bending away from the places of decay, which we termed “saprotropism.” To identify the decay-generated chemical signals recognized by roots for navigation and the microbes colonizing on plant-derived matter responsible for producing these chemicals, we performed multiomics analysis (microbiomics, metabolomics, and transcriptomics) and microbial isolation for experimental validation. Using confocal imaging and genetic screening, we investigated the root sensory cells and molecular sensor involved in perceiving decay-induced chemical cues. Lastly, we explored how roots translate these external chemical signals into cell growth behavior that drove saprotropic bending.

RESULTS: We showed that decaying plant material formed a niche of hostile microbes that inhibited root growth and reduced plant fitness upon direct contact. When roots were placed near, but not touching, decaying plant material, they consistently bent away from the decay source, a directional avoidance response that we termed saprotropism. We further found that fungi colonizing decaying plant material, rather than bacteria, produced acidic metabolites, including organic and phenolic acids, during decomposition. These acids diffused into the surrounding soil and established stable acidic pH gradients that served as directional cues for root navigation. Root epidermal cells sensed this acidic microenvironment through the root meristem growth factor (RGF)–RGF receptor (RGFR) peptide-receptor pH sensor module, which converted pH asymmetry into asymmetric abscisic acid (ABA) distribution across the root. ABA asymmetry the drove microtubule reorganization and anisotropic epidermal cell expansion, generating handed root twisting that directs root bending away from decay.

CONCLUSION: This study identified saprotropism as a previously unrecognized plant bending response that enables roots to actively evade decay zones. Fungi-driven decomposition of plant-derived material generated acidic chemical gradients that served as environmental guidance cues for root navigation, and we delineated the molecular and cellular mechanisms by which this microbial decay–generated chemical landscape reprogrammed root growth decisions. Our findings not only expand the current framework of plant tropisms but also reveal a previously unrecognized form of microbe-soil-plant communication, providing new insights into how plant roots navigate complex underground environments to avoid harmful microbial niches.

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adw6568

Chen, H., Xing, L., Guan, C. et al. (2026): Graph-based pan-genome reveals structural variations associated with

agronomic traits in mung bean. Nat Genet | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41588-026-02644-5

Mung bean (Vigna radiata) is a globally important legume crop valued for its short growing cycle, nitrogen-fixing capacity and high nutritional value, particularly in developing countries. Here we report a comprehensive graph-based pan-genome assembled from 11 genetically diverse global accessions. The framework captures 75,268 gene families (50.86% core, 35.19% dispensable and 13.95% private) and 66,862 nonredundant structural variants. Integrating these structural variants and single nucleotide polymorphisms, genome-wide association studies across five environments identified candidate genes for 20 agronomic traits, underscoring the pivotal roles of these variants in driving mung bean domestication and improvement. Mechanistically, we demonstrate that a 68-bp promoter insertion in VrTIFY6B and a 136-bp promoter deletion in VrPGIP1 regulate flavonoid content and confer bruchid resistance, respectively. These genomic resources and actionable functional variants provide a powerful toolkit to accelerate mung bean improvement through marker-assisted breeding, genomic selection and genome editing to address global food security.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41588-026-02644-5

Lerner A.; Benzvi C. (2026): The food additive microbial transglutaminase is a potential new environmental inducer of

autoimmune diseases. Current Opinion in Immunology 101, 102812 | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coi.2026.102812

Microbial transglutaminase (mTG) is a frequently used processed food additive, and the consumption of its cross-linked complexes is rapidly expanding. Despite numerous reports concerning its public safety, it is designated as a processing aid and classified as safe for use. mTG and/or its cross-linked complexes can compromise human health. They represent non-self peptides, resulting in non-immune-tolerable neoepitopes. They are proinflammatory, allergenic, immunogenic, pathogenic, human immune system suppressors, and potentially toxic, hence raising concerns for public health. mTG functionally mimics the endogenous transglutaminase and was recently identified as an inducer of celiac disease, potential primary biliary cholangitis, and neurodegenerative diseases. The present review describes the potential mechanisms and risky effects of mTG, highlighting its thermostability and broad pH activity range, its problematic, underregulated, genetically engineered origin, and public health concerns. The national food regulatory authorities are urged to reconsider mTG’s status, prioritizing public health protection over the mTG’s health-damaging consequences

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0952791526000890

EFSA

FEZ Panel (2026): Safety evaluation of an extension of use of the food enzyme cellulase from the non-genetically modified

Aspergillus niger strain 294. EFSA Journal, 24(7), e10217 | https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2026.10217

https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.2903/j.efsa.2026.10217

FEZ Panel (2026): Safety evaluation of an extension of use of the food enzyme containing cellulase, endo-1,3(4)-β-glucanase and

endo-1,4-β-xylanase activities from the non-genetically modified Trichoderma reesei strain AR-999. EFSA Journal, 24(7), e10218. https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2026.10218

https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.2903/j.efsa.2026.10218

FEZ Panel (2026):  Safety evaluation of an extension of use of the food enzyme endo-1,3(4)-β-glucanase from the non-genetically

modified Rasamsonia composticola strain 427-FS. EFSA Journal, 24(7), e10215. https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2026.10215

https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.2903/j.efsa.2026.10215

FEZ Panel (2026): Safety evaluation of a second extension of use of the food enzyme containing cellulase, endo-1,3(4)-β-glucanase

and endo-1,4-β-xylanase activities from the non-genetically modified Trichoderma reesei strain AR-256. EFSA Journal, 24(7), e10208. https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2026.10208

https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.2903/j.efsa.2026.10208

FEZ Panel (2026): Safety evaluation of an extension of use of the food enzyme glucose oxidase from the genetically modified

Aspergillus oryzae strain NZYM-KP. EFSA Journal, 24(7), e10209. https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2026.10209

https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.2903/j.efsa.2026.10209

FEZ Panel (2026): Safety evaluation of an extension of use of the food enzyme pullulanase from the genetically modified Bacillus

licheniformis strain NZYM-LU. EFSA Journal, 24(7), e10206. https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2026.10206

https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.2903/j.efsa.2026.10206

FEZ Panel (2026): Safety evaluation of a second extension of use of the food enzyme thermolysin from the non-genetically modified

Anoxybacillus caldiproteolyticus strain AE-TP. EFSA Journal, 24(7), e10211. https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2026.10211

https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.2903/j.efsa.2026.10211

FEZ Panel (2026): Safety evaluation of a food enzyme containing endo-polygalacturonase and pectin lyase activities from the non-

genetically modified Aspergillus luchuensis strain NZYM-XA. EFSA Journal, 24(7), e10173. https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2026.10173

https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.2903/j.efsa.2026.10173

FEZ Panel (2026): Revised safety evaluation of the food enzyme triacylglycerol lipase from the non-genetically modified Burkholderia

stagnalis strain PL266-QLM. EFSA Journal, 24(7), e10174. https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2026.10174

https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.2903/j.efsa.2026.10174

FEZ Panel (2026): Safety evaluation of an extension of use of the food enzyme α-galactosidase from the genetically modified

Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain CBS 615.94. EFSA Journal, 24(7), e10210. https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2026.10210

https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.2903/j.efsa.2026.10210

FEZ Panel (2026): Safety evaluation of the food enzyme mannan endo-1,4-β-mannosidase from the non-genetically modified

Aspergillus niger HBI-GM01. EFSA Journal, 24(7), e10182. https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2026.10182

https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.2903/j.efsa.2026.10182

FEZ Panel (2026): Safety evaluation of the food enzyme pectin lyase from the genetically modified Aspergillus niger strain CCTCC M

2023341. EFSA Journal, 24(7), e10186. https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2026.10186

https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.2903/j.efsa.2026.10186

FEZ Panel (2026): Safety evaluation of an extension of use of the food enzyme endo 1,4-β-xylanase from the genetically modified

Aspergillus oryzae strain NZYM-FB. EFSA Journal, 24(7), e10181. https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2026.10181

https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.2903/j.efsa.2026.10181