The possibilities of this technology for agriculture were highlighted in my mind when, in 2014, scientists at the Chinese Academy of Sciences used gene-editing tools, including CRISPR, to alter the six copies of the Mlo gene in Triticum aestivum, or bread wheat, one of the world’s most important staple crops. Plants that had all six mutated Mlo genes were resistant to powdery mildew, a fantastic result, and furthermore, the researchers didn’t have to worry about harmful or undesired effects of any other mutations because only the Mlo genes had been edited.
