Exploiting induced and natural epigenetic variation for crop improvement
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Updated: Feb 27, 2026

Author Spotlight: Streamlining Rice Breeding with CRISPR/Cas for Obtaining Optimal Phenotypic and Agronomic Traits
Published on: January 3, 2025
Nathan M Springer1, Robert J Schmitz2
1Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, Minnesota 55108, USA.
Abstract:
Plant breeding has traditionally relied on combining the genetic diversity present within a species to develop combinations of alleles that provide desired traits. Epigenetic diversity may provide additional sources of variation within a species that could be captured or created for crop improvement. It will be important to understand the sources of epigenetic variation and the stability of newly formed epigenetic variants over generations to fully use the potential of epigenetic variation to improve crops. The development and application of methods for widespread epigenome profiling and engineering may generate new avenues for using the full potential of epigenetics in crop improvement.
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