Rothamsted Research has drilled the first crop in the UK to receive a Precision Bred Organism (PBO) Release Notice.
The development marks a significant milestone for field-based gene editing under new regulatory frameworks agreed at Westminster.
The trial focuses on Camelina sativa, an emerging oilseed crop, to explore how gene editing can increase seed size and improve overall yield and oil content.
Scientists at Rothamsted have introduce various changes in genes that regulate seed size.
By targeting genes controlling cell division in the outer layers of the ovul – the structure from which seeds develop – the team aims to produce larger ovules that give rise to larger seeds.
The impact of these changes on seed size, yield and oil content will be assessed during this year’s field trial.
Gene editing
Dr Smita Kurup, research group leader at Rothamsted Research, said: “Gene editing allows us to precisely target traits like seed size that directly influence yield.
“This trial is an important step towards developing higher-yielding, more sustainable oilseed crops.”
The genetic changes introduced consist of a range of deletions and insertions that could have occurred naturally or through conventional breeding. As such, they fall within the scope of the UK’s new PBO regulations.
This is the first release notice to be registered under the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023 and the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Regulations 2025 and is being conducted as a proof-of-concept research trial.
Camelina belongs to the Brassicaceae family, which includes oilseed rape (Brassica napus), a key crop for UK and Irish agriculture.
This research raises the potential to translate gene-editing approaches from camelina into oilseed rape to enhance yields for UK and irish farmers.
Dr Mollie Langdon, who is leading the field trial at Rothamsted Research, commented: “It is an exciting time to be working on gene editing and to explore its potential benefits for UK agriculture.
“Field trials like this allow us to better understand how these innovations could support farmers and growers in the future.”
Precision crop biostimulants
Meanwhile, crop biotechnology venture (SugaRox), originating from Rothamsted Research and University of Oxford, has secured £2.5 million in strategic investment from The Mosaic Company to accelerate development of a new class of precision crop biostimulants.
The investment forms part of SugaROx’s ongoing Series A fundraising round.
It will support expanded international field trials, regulatory activities and commercial scale-up of the company’s product platform, and flagship biostimulant based on trehalose-6-phosphate (T6P).
T6P is a naturally occurring signalling molecule that regulates carbon allocation and utilisation within plants.
SugaROx has developed proprietary delivery technologies that enable these highly polar biomolecules to be applied exogenously through conventional agricultural spray systems.
The platform technology emerged from collaborative research spanning plant metabolism, signalling biology and synthetic chemistry at Rothamsted Research and Oxford University.
The company’s lead products are designed to improve crop yield, resilience and nutrient use efficiency by modulating key intracellular metabolic pathways.