Key breakthrough in developing ‘gene edited’ barley

Rothamsted Research is confirming a key breakthrough in developing a ‘gene edited’ barley, which can be specifically used for whole cropping purposes.

The cereal has become the first crop to receive a Precision Bred Organism (PBO) marketing notice confirmation through the UK’s new regulatory pathway for precision breeding.

Significantly, this development confirms that the barley meets the criteria of a precision-bred organism, thereby allowing the crop to progress towards wider evaluation, research and analysis, leading to the eventual commercial deployment of the trait.

Rothamsted scientists point out that the PBO confirmation represents an important step under the UK’s new regulatory framework for precision breeding, which allows plants with targeted genetic changes that could arise naturally to be developed and assessed more efficiently.

The barley has been developed using CRISPR gene editing to increase lipid content in plant tissues, creating a high-energy forage crop for ruminant livestock such as cattle and sheep.

Increasing lipid levels in forage can improve feed efficiency and has the potential to reduce methane emissions produced during digestion.

Rothamsted barley

The Rothamsted barley was developed by introducing small edits into genes that normally break down plant oils.

By reducing this breakdown process, the plants accumulate higher levels of lipids in their vegetative tissues.

The result is a forage crop with increased metabolisable energy that could help livestock gain more energy from the same feed intake.

Peter Eastmond, who led the research at Rothamsted, commented: “This barley has been designed to increase the energy density of forage by boosting lipid levels in the plant.

“Higher-energy feed can improve livestock productivity and offers a promising route to reducing methane emissions from ruminant agriculture.

“Receiving the first precision-bred marketing notice for a crop in the UK is a major milestone and reflects many years of research into plant lipid metabolism and gene editing at Rothamsted,” he added.

Freddie Theodoulou, team lead of Engineering Biology for Agriculture at Rothamsted Research, said: “This decision demonstrates how the UK’s precision breeding framework can enable responsible innovation in crop science.

“It allows researchers to translate discoveries into crops with real-world benefits while maintaining rigorous scientific oversight.

“Traits like this high-lipid barley illustrate the potential of precision breeding to support more sustainable agriculture; in this case by improving the nutritional quality of forage and helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions from livestock.”

Alongside the high-lipid barley, the project is also assessing precision-bred wheat varieties with traits aimed at improving grain quality and yield.

.editor-styles-wrapper .wp-block-acf-related-stories-block {
max-width: 960px !important;
background-color: var(–color-gray-default);
padding-inline: 40px;
padding-top: 8px !important;
padding-bottom: 20px !important;
}