Gene drive systems: do they have a place in agricultural weed management?

A - Papers appearing in refereed journals

Neve, P. 2018. Gene drive systems: do they have a place in agricultural weed management? Pest Management Science. 74, pp. 2671-2679. https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.5137

AuthorsNeve, P.
Abstract

There is a pressing need for novel control techniques in agricultural weed management. Direct genetic control of agricultural pests encompasses a range of techniques to introduce and spread novel, fitness-reducing genetic modifications through pest populations. Recently, the development of CRISPR–Cas9 gene editing has brought these approaches into sharper focus.Proof of concept for CRISPR–Cas9-based gene drives has been demonstrated for the control of disease-vectoring insects. This article considers whether and how gene drives may be applied in agricultural weed management, focusing on CRISPR–Cas9-based systems. Population-suppression drives might be employed to introduce and proliferate deleterious mutations that directly impact fitness and weediness, where as population-sensitizing drives would seek to edit weed genomes so that populations are rendered more sensitive to subsequent management interventions. Technical challenges relating to plant transformation and gene editing in planta are considered, and the implementation of gene drives for timely and sustainable weed management is reviewed in the light of weed population biology. The technical, biological, practical and regulatory challenges remain significant. Modelling-based studies can inform how and if gene drives could be employed in weed populations. These studies are an essential first step towards determining the utility of gene drives for weed management.

KeywordsGene drive; Weed management; Direct genetic control; Herbicide resistance; CRISPR-Cas9
Year of Publication2018
JournalPest Management Science
Journal citation74, pp. 2671-2679
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.5137
Open accessPublished as ‘gold’ (paid) open access
FunderBBSRC Industrial Strategy Challenge
Funder project or codeBBSRC Strategic Programme in Smart Crop Protection
Accepted author manuscript
Output statusPublished
Publication dates
Online18 Sep 2018
Publication process dates
Accepted12 Jul 2018
PublisherWiley
Copyright licenseCC BY
ISSN1526-498X

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