Jeremy Sweet – författare

RNA interference (RNAi) has the potential to make major contributions towards sustainable crop production and protection with minimal environmental impacts compared to other technologies. RNAi is being developed and exploited both within plants (i.e. host-induced gene silencing, HIGS) and/or as topical applications (e.g. spray-induced gene silencing, SIGS) for targeting pest and pathogen genes and for manipulating endogenous gene expression in plants. Chapters by international experts review current knowledge on RNAi, methods for developing RNAi systems in GM plants and applications for crop improvement, crop production and crop protection. Chapters examine both endogenous systems in GM plants and exogenous systems where interfering RNAs are applied to target plants, pests and pathogens. The biosafety of these different systems is examined and methods for risk assessment for food, feed and environmental safety are discussed. Finally, aspects of the regulation of technologies exploiting RNAi and the socio-economic impacts of RNAi technologies are discussed.

This open access book is an update of genome editing techniques applied to a range of plants. We discuss the latest techniques and applications to cereals, roots and tubers, oilseed crops, fruit and forest trees, vegetables, legumes and algae including resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses, improved quality, drug production, yield and adaptation to climate change.  The regulations in different countries worldwide, the patentibility and the perception by society of the applications of new genomic techniques are examined. This book is written by a multidisciplinary and multisectoral collective of high-profile scientists and other experts belonging to the COST Action network PlantEd, which is mainly European but with contributions from American, Australian, Canadian, Chinese, Indian, Iranian, Pakistani and Peruvian scientists. The book is aimed at a wide audience consisting of students, academics, private and public breeders, other actors in the food and bioeconomy valuechains and policy and law makers.This is an open access book.