Viruses to improve crops: a proposal from IBMCP (CSIC-UPV)

A team of researchers from the Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology of Plants (IBMCP) and the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV) has published an article in the scientific journal 'Nature Reviews Bioengineering' advocating the use of attenuated viruses to improve plant health. It highlights the paradox that the use of vaccines and gene therapies is widespread for human and animal health, yet their agricultural use is not yet authorized, even in highly confined environments.

Attenuated viruses for crop improvement

In their article, this international research group, led by the Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology of Plants (IBMCP), a joint center of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), and the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV), outlines the paths that can be followed to fully harness the benefits of this technology for plant and crop health.

The team believes that applying attenuated viruses to improve crop quality, making them more resistant to extreme and changing climatic conditions, or producing dietary supplements to improve human nutrition could be a more efficient and sustainable alternative than the use of agrochemicals, and faster than traditional breeding methods.

Genes that could reduce the use of agrochemicals

The authors suggest that viral vectors, derived from attenuated viruses that do not harm plants, could be used to insert specific genes into crops to improve their agronomic characteristics. For example, they could induce flowering in plants and accelerate harvests; develop improved crop varieties; modify plant structure to facilitate their adaptation to mechanization; increase drought tolerance; or produce metabolites beneficial to human health, among other applications.

Scientific reference:

Pasin, F., Uranga, M., Charudattan, R., Kwon CT Engineering good viruses to improve crop performance. Nat Rev Bioeng (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44222-024-00197-y

Article available in open access: https://rdcu.be/dH1Jw