b"COMPILED BY MARCEL BRUINSCREATIVE DESTRUCTION IN THE PLANT BREEDING SECTORC reative destruction in the plant breeding sector involves3. Traditional Genetic Modification vs. CRISPR and Gene innovations that significantly disrupt traditional practices,Editingleading to the decline or transformation of existing methods,Before: GMOs were developed through the insertion of foreign products, or industries. Here are some notable examples: genes into a plant's genome, a process that was often met with public resistance and regulatory challenges.1. Open-Pollinated Varieties (OPVs) vs. Hybrid Seeds Disruption: The advent of CRISPR-Cas9 and other gene-editing Before: Farmers primarily used open-pollinated varieties (OPVs),technologies in the 2010s allowed for precise, targeted changes to which allowed them to save seeds from one season to plant in thea plant's own DNA without the introduction of foreign genes. This next. technology can quickly develop crops with desired traits, such as Disruption: The development of hybrid seeds starting in the latedisease resistance or improved nutritional content.19th century and further developed in the early 20th century revolu- Impact: CRISPR has the potential to overshadow traditional tionized agriculture. Hybrid seeds, created by crossing two differentgenetic modification techniques by being more efficient, less costly, inbred lines, offered significantly higher yields and more uniformand more acceptable to the public and regulators. This has opened crops. new possibilities for innovation in plant breeding, potentially reduc-Impact: Farmers switched to hybrid seeds due to the hybrids supe- ing the dominance of earlier GMO technologies.rior performance. The change also made it less attractive for farmers to save seeds, as hybrids do not breed true in subsequent generations.4. Phenotypic Selection vs. Marker-Assisted Selection As the superior performance greatly outweighed the cost of annual(MAS)seed acquisition, farmers accepted this shift, which has fundamen- Before: Traditional plant breeding relied heavily on phenotypic tally changed the dynamics of seed production and sales. selection, where breeders would select plants based on visible traits, a process that could be slow and sometimes imprecise.2. Conventional Breeding vs. Genetically ModifiedDisruption: Marker-assisted selection (MAS) leverages genetic Organisms (GMOs)markers associated with desirable traits, allowing breeders to screen Before: Traditional plant breeding methods such as selectiveand select plants more efficiently and accurately, even before traits breeding and crossbreeding were the primary means of developingmanifest physically.new crop varieties. Impact: MAS has accelerated the breeding process and improved Disruption: The introduction of GMOs in the 1990s allowed sci- the accuracy of selecting plants with desired traits, leading to the entists and plant breeders to directly modify the DNA of plants,decline of purely phenotypic selection methods. This technology inserting specific genes to confer desired traits such as pest resist- has become a standard in modern plant breeding programs, making ance (e.g., Bt crops) or herbicide tolerance (e.g., Roundup Readytraditional methods less competitive.crops).Impact: GMOs enabled faster and more5. Public Breeding Programs vs. Private Sector Companiesprecise development of crop varieties withBefore: Public institutions and universities were the primary enhanced traits, significantly reducingsources of new crop varieties, particularly for staple crops like wheat the time and unpredictability associ- and rice.ated with conventional breeding.Disruption: The rise of private sector seed companies and biotech-This innovation disrupted tra- nology companies, with their advanced research capabilities and ditional breeding practicessignificant funding, shifted the focus of innovation to the private and led to a significantsector. These companies developed proprietary technologies, such shift in the agriculturalas GMOs and hybrid seeds.landscape, particularly inImpact: While public breeding programs, which were almost uni-major crops like corn, soy- versally being impacted by funding reductions by their respective beans, and cotton. governments, reduced their reach, private companies took the lead in developing new, high-performing plant varieties. Each of these examples illustrates how innovation in plant breeding can lead to the displacement of older methods, driving the seed sector forward while also creating new challenges and opportunities. SEEDWORLD.COM/EUROPEISEED WORLD EUROPE I 5"