UK is falling behind China in the race to eradicate crop diseases, British scientists warn

British scientists have warned the UK is falling behind China in the race to eradicate crop diseases after Beijing granted a milestone approval this month for the country’s first ever edited wheat genome.

The fast-tracked go ahead for the genome edit, which gives wheat resistance to a common fungal infection called powdery mildew, has been hailed by the science community as a “massive step” towards improving food security in the world’s largest wheat producer and consumer.

Experts say the gene editing process, which is distinct from genetic modification as it does not insert foreign DNA, also promises significant environmental benefits as it would allow farmers to cut back on agro-chemicals.

The genome can be applied to different varieties of wheat and is a result of a decade of research and safety checks by Suzhou-based biotechnology company Qi Biodesign and scientists at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The scientific basis of the genome editing process appeared in the peer-reviewed journal Nature in 2022, where the researchers explained how molecular breeding was a sustainable strategy to deal with an estimated 11-30 per cent annual global loss in crop production through plant disease.

Kevin Zhao, co-founder of Qi Biodesign, said the firm had been reviewing safety with regulators for the past two years.

It shows that the country “is very interested in pursuing more effective means to breed better crops in the future for food security purposes”, Mr Zhao told the South China Morning Post.

“Now that we have this edit approved by the ministry [of agriculture], we can put this edit in many different wheat varieties grown all over China and see how this edit performs across different varieties.”

British experts have described the gene edit as an “exciting” development for a crop that has been cultivated for more than 10,000 years, radically altering the diet and economy of human society as it became vital for global food security.

The food staple has evolved through a process of natural selection, domestication and, in recent years, genetic engineering to improve its yield and quality. Today it is one of just six crops that account for more than 75 percent of total plant-derived energy intake globally.

While the new technique has yet to be rolled out in Chinese fields, the short time-frame of the Chinese approval process has left British scientists questioning the UK and Europe’s more cumbersome bureaucracy governing the pioneering technique.

“I think the lesson is get on with it, the rest of the world is moving ahead quickly,” said Prof. Nigel Halford, a crop scientist at Rothamsted Research and a visiting professor at Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

‘We are already behind’

Unlike genetic modification, which introduces foreign genes into a plant, gene editing alters existing genes to change or improve its performance and is generally viewed as less risky because the process replicates what already occurs in nature.

Gene-editing uses specialised enzymes to cut DNA at specific points and these changes are designed as the equivalent to those that could have been made using traditional plant breeding methods.  

However, UK and European legislation has been slow to regulate the technology, hampering the agricultural industry’s ability to use it, said Prof. Halford.

In the EU, an important market for British farmers, gene-editing has long been lumped together with legislation on the more controversial issue of genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

Efforts to regulate it separately were under way but moving at a “glacial pace”, he said.

In England, the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act came into force in 2023 as a legal basis for gene editing to reinforce food security and reduce the use of fertilisers and pesticides in farming.

However, the Food Standards Agency is still developing a new authorisation framework to regulate the use of precision bred organisms in food and feed products.

The new law also only applies to England, which creates logistical barriers to farmers marketing gene-edited products across the United Kingdom.

“Nobody is going to start doing it until they understand and are confident in the regulatory process,” said Prof. Halford.

“The UK government talks about us having a chance to get a lead in this technology. We are already behind.”

Japan, which was deeply resistant to GMOs, had also already embraced gene-editing with products including tomatoes and sea bream on the market, he said.

“We need to catch up,” he said. “If you make the regulations difficult it won’t happen. Obviously, you have got to err on the side of safety, but your regulations have to be proportionate to the risk.”

For the science and agricultural communities, the global advantages of the technique are clear.

“There is a recognition around the world that you need to move to genetic rather than chemical disease control in crop production. The reason being that there is obviously a big carbon footprint connected with manufacturing fungicides,” said Prof. Halford.

Gene editing around the world is also already being harnessed to create crops capable of growing in harsh conditions, that would help them survive the impact of the climate crisis, including extremes of heat and cold and natural disasters like drought and flooding.

In February, researchers in Australia announced a new three-year project to focus on the development of heat tolerant wheat genetics, to help crops thrive in high-temperature conditions.

Scientists elsewhere have been using gene editing techniques to create virus-, bacterial- and fungal-resistant wheat that could provide potential solutions to hunger and malnutrition in developing countries.

Crops that are more resistant to pests and disease could make land more productive as the global population continues to grow, providing food that is more nutritious and stays fresh for longer.

Aside from wheat, gene-editing has been used to increase the size of rice, maize and soybeans and it could help crops like banana and coffee plants become more resilient to dangers.

The Chinese attempt to eradicate powdery mildew, a major fungal disease in wheat, could mean higher crop yields and reduced dependence on fungicides.

Dr Simon Griffiths, the head of the Delivering Sustainable Wheat programme at the John Innes Centre, described gene editing as a “revolution.”

He added: “I could hardly overstate how big an impact it had on what is possible for us.”

For China, a net wheat importer even though it is also the world’s biggest producer, the scientific advance was a major boost for food security.

In the UK, it could also be a gamechanger, he said.

“In this country the response to climate change in terms of net zero and agriculture means we will have 26% less land to grow crops on,” he said.

“We need to get more out of the land we grow without damaging the environment. And things like these gene edits are the things you are going to need to do that.”

The hangover of the historical public backlash against GMOs was slowing scientific momentum, Dr Griffiths argued.

“Gene edit is not GM but I think people are just cautious..It’s really about politics and public opinion.”

However, China’s recent decision could help to shift the dial and spur western governments to move faster, he suggested.

“My guess would be they have done us a favour. It is just one more step forward,” he said.

“The best thing about this news is that if China have been courageous enough to do this hopefully everyone sees it is just fine and that’s a good sign.”

Protect yourself and your family by learning more about Global Health Security