Meetings und Veranstaltungen

AbL: Hintergründe der Bündnis-Direktklage gegen die NGT-Verordnung

5. Oktober 2026, 19.30 Uhr, online

https://www.abl-ev.de/aktuelles/details/hintergruende-der-buendnis-direktklage-gegen-die-ngt-verordnung

Press Releases - Media / Presse- und Medienberichte

POINT NEWSLETTER NR. 291 – SEPTEMBER 2026 - Aktuelle Biotechnologie

https://www.scienceindustries.ch/_file/40247/point-2026-09-291-d.pdf

Sánchez Manzanaro S., Arboleas M.S.: Behind the fence: Europe's race for gene-edited crops

https://www.rapporteur.com/news/behind-the-fence-europes-race-for-gene-edited-crops/

Perez-Lara E.: Europe’s Embrace of Next Generation Technology a Huge Step Forward

https://www.seedworld.com/europe/2026/10/01/new-genomic-techniques-european-plant-breeding/

Malta considers gene-edited crops amid farmer and labelling concerns

https://www.italpress.com/malta-considers-gene-edited-crops-amid-farmer-and-labelling-concerns/

UK gene-edited crops will not be banned under EU reset deal

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/10/01/uk-gene-edited-crops-to-be-spared-from-brussels-ban/

Only some selected press releases or media reports are listed here. The daily up-date of the press releases and

media reports are ►here: September/October week 40

Publications – Publikationen

Deligiannidou  E., Ganopoulos I., Papasotiropoulos V. (2026): Molecular Targets and Trait Innovation in CRISPR-Edited

Vegetable Crops: An Up-to-Date Review (2020–2026). Plants 15 (18), 2885 | https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15182885

Vegetable crops are of fundamental nutritional and economic importance worldwide, yet their improvement through conventional breeding remains time consuming and constrained by genomic complexity. For that reason, over the period 2020–2026, CRISPR/Cas-mediated genome editing, a new genomic technique (NGT), has emerged as the leading tool for precise, rapid and targeted modification of vegetable crop genomes. In this review, we summarize selected peer-reviewed studies on CRISPR/Cas applications across a broad range of vegetable species. Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and potato (Solanum tuberosum) are the most edited species with the CRISPR/Cas system, with tomato being at the forefront, while other crops such as cucumber, watermelon, Brassica species, pepper, eggplant and lettuce, follow. We studied eight trait categories that have been improved, namely biotic stress resistance, abiotic stress resistance, yield and growth regulation, food/feed quality modification, color/flavor modification, storage conditions, herbicide resistance and industrial utilization. Out of these, biotic stress resistance is the most actively targeted category across both tomato and potato, with viral, fungal, bacterial and oomycete pathogens being addressed through the editing of host susceptibility genes. Some advances include editing SlDMR6-1 and DMR6 orthologs to confer broad-spectrum disease resistance, multiplex editing of the MLO gene family to achieve powdery mildew resistance, the utilization of the CRISPR/Cas13 system to confer resistance in RNA viruses in potato, and the engineering of drought-tolerant and quality-improved varieties across multiple species. Finally, the regulatory landscape for genome-edited products in the European Union is currently evolving with efforts to distinguish them from genome-modified products and drive further growth for the field.

https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/15/18/2885

Chang, J., Wang, D., Yao, Z. et al. (2026): Wild rice locus enables microbiome re-domestication for enhanced nitrogen-use

efficiency. Nat Microbiol  | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-026-02498-x

Domestication of crops, such as rice, has resulted in the loss of beneficial root-associated microbiota central to plant nitrogen-use efficiency. Whether these microbes can be inherited through hybridization of wild and cultivated plants and the host genes involved is unclear. Here we used two recombinant inbred line populations, derived from cultivated rice (Oryza sativa) and its wild relative Oryza rufipogon to map host quantitative trait loci associated with core bacterial taxa. Integrating microbiome profiling, quantitative trait loci mapping, population genomics and transgenic validation, we identified 113 candidate plant genes. The receptor-like kinase-encoding gene OsRLK, found predominantly in wild rice, was significantly associated with Acinetobacter, which enhances plant nitrogen uptake. Knockout and overexpression of OsRLK, inoculated with an Acinetobacter synthetic community, validated their role in nitrogen-use efficiency. In field trials, the overexpression line significantly increased yield-related traits. These findings establish the genetic basis of microbiome re-domestication and provide a framework for microbiome-guided breeding of nutrient-efficient crops.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-026-02498-x

Raja-Kumar, RS., Mesny, F., Basak, A.K. et al. (2026): Carbohydrate-active enzymes from a core root mycobiota member

enable infection of multiple plant hosts. Nat Microbiol | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-026-02492-3

The root microbiome includes fungal pathogens capable of colonizing multiple plant hosts, yet the underlying genetic determinants remain unknown. Here we report that Plectosphaerella cucumerina is a core member of the Arabidopsis thaliana root microbiota, which displays pathogenic potential across multiple hosts. Using a collection of 72 Plectosphaerella isolates and whole-genome sequencing, we observed subtle phenotypic and genotypic variation associated with fungal phylogeny but not host plant identity. Transcriptome profiling of a P. cucumerina isolate in roots of diverse plants revealed core and host-specific fungal responses, including induction of carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) involved in root cell wall deconstruction. A fungal gene encoding a candidate β-1,3-glucanase (GH64) was identified as a key genetic factor driving multihost infection. This gene is present across plant-colonizing fungi and functions as a disease determinant in both P. cucumerina and a Colletotrichum root pathogen. Our results indicate that host-induced CAZymes can couple fungal virulence with multihost compatibility.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-026-02492-3

Kronenberg L., Konrad L., Hug M., Hepner N. et al. (2026): Micronutrient density in European elite wheat: Breeding

opportunities for enhanced iron and zinc nutrition. Field Crops Research 349, 110721 | 10.1016/j.fcr.2026.110721

Context: The importance of staple crops as sources of micronutrients such as zinc (Zn), iron (Fe), and selenium (Se) is increasing in Europe due to dietary shifts towards plant-based foods. While wheat that is biofortified with these micronutrients may partially cover this micronutrient demand, it needs to be assured that such wheat does not contain elevated concentrations of the contaminant cadmium (Cd).

Objective: We aimed to assess the potential of European elite wheat germplasm for micronutrient biofortification by evaluating the genetic variation in grain concentrations of Zn, Fe, Se, Cd, and phytate, among other nutrients.

Methods: We analysed 103 European elite bread wheat cultivars (Triticum aestivum) grown in field experiments in Switzerland in 2015 and 2017 for trace elements, minerals, protein content, phytate, and yield components. Linear mixed models were applied to estimate across year-site heritabilities and genetic correlations.

Results: The heritabilities of the grain concentrations were highest for Fe (H² = 0.73), followed by phytate (0.65), Zn (0.59), Se (0.29), and Cd (0.22). The heritability of Fe was close to the heritability of the thousand kernel weight (0.83) which is a reference trait for a high heritability. Genetic correlations were strongest for Fe and Zn (r = 0.88), Fe and phytate (0.80) and Fe and Cd (0.78), while this correlation was not significant for Zn and Cd. Multivariate analyses indicated that country-specific breeding programs influenced protein, sulfur, and phosphorus concentrations, but not trace element concentrations.

Conclusion & implications: The considerable genetic variation and corresponding heritabilities of Fe and Zn in European elite wheat germplasm suggests that breeding for increased micronutrient content could be feasible without extensive pre-breeding. Hence, biofortified elite cultivars could improve Fe and Zn nutrition in plant-based diets. However, Cd accumulation and the bioavailability of Fe and Zn would need to be evaluated in genetically biofortified elite wheat.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378429026003977

EFSA

FEZ Panel (2026): Safety evaluation of the food enzyme cellulase from the genetically modified Trichoderma reesei strain NZYM-FS.

EFSA Journal 24 (10), e10331 | https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2026.10331

https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.2903/j.efsa.2026.10331

FEZ Panel (2026): Safety evaluation of the food enzyme aspergillopepsin I from the non-genetically modified Aspergillus sp. strain

LPL 3U-3-10. EFSA Journal, 24 (9), e10338 | . https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2026.10338

https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.2903/j.efsa.2026.10338

FEZ Panel (2026): Safety evaluation of a food enzyme containing carboxypeptidase C, oryzin and leucyl aminopeptidase activities

from the non-genetically modified Aspergillus sp. strain FP 12-385. EFSA Journal 24 (9), e10337 | . https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2026.10337

https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.2903/j.efsa.2026.10337

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

xylanase and cellulase activities from the non-genetically modified Mycothermus thermophiloides strain NZYM-ST. EFSA Journal 24 (9), e10336. | https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2026.10336

https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.2903/j.efsa.2026.10336

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-FA. EFSA Journal 24 (9), e10335. | https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2026.10335

https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.2903/j.efsa.2026.10335

FEZ Panel (2026): Safety evaluation of a food enzyme containing carboxypeptidase C, oryzin and leucyl aminopeptidase activities

from the non-genetically modified Aspergillus sp. strain FP 12-385. EFSA Journal 24 (9), e10337 | https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2026.10337

https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.2903/j.efsa.2026.10337

FEZ Panel (2026). Safety evaluation of the food enzyme oryzin from the non-genetically modified Aspergillus sp. strain LP 4–1281.

EFSA Journal 24 (9), e10334 | https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2026.10334

https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.2903/j.efsa.2026.10334