Europe's First Precision-Bred Oilseed Rape Moves to Commercial UK Farms

Europe's first precision-bred oilseed rape (OSR) is set to move from the laboratory to commercial farms under a new £2.5 million research project. The three-year initiative, titled LLS-ERASED (Light Leaf Spot Enhancing Resistance And reducing Susceptibility with EDiting), aims to help UK farmers combat light leaf spot, a devastating disease that caused over £300 million in yield losses in 2022. Led by the British On-Farm Innovation Network (BOFIN) in collaboration with researchers from the University of Hertfordshire and the John Innes Centre, the project is funded through Defra's Farming Innovation Programme and delivered in partnership with Innovate UK.

The project will use gene editing technology to "switch off" specific susceptibility genes within the plant's own DNA, a process that does not introduce foreign genetic material. This precision-breeding approach allows researchers to develop resilient varieties much faster than traditional breeding methods. By reducing the crop's vulnerability to fungal pathogens, the initiative aims to provide a more durable protection that is less reliant on chemical fungicides, which have become increasingly unreliable due to evolving pathogen resistance.

This effort marks the first time precision-bred technology will be deployed on commercial farms across Europe. Beyond the laboratory work led by the John Innes Centre and the University of Hertfordshire, the project integrates real-time disease forecasting and decision-support tools for growers. By establishing a robust pipeline for future traits, such as resistance to the cabbage stem flea beetle, the UK aims to position itself as a global leader in sustainable, science-based farming as it navigates its new regulatory freedom under the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act.

For details on this project, read the news release from the University of Hertfordshire.