CRISPR-Cas9 Application in Canadian Public and Private Plant Breeding

Plant-breeding technologies have expanded, accelerating breeding research beyond the confines of current regulations. The application of genome editing, such as CRISPR-Cas9, do not neatly fit into existing regulatory frameworks, creating uncertainty as to whether they can be regarded as conventionally developed varieties without further regulation. This research presents the current views of Canadian plant breeders based on a national survey of plant breeders. There is evidence that a review of existing regulations is required, as >60% anticipate the use of genome-editing technologies in the next few years. This paper reviews plant-breeding practices under the context of present plants with novel trait (PNT) regulations and where plant breeders place the use of CRISPR-Cas9 within the suite of available genome-editing options. This paper establishes when and why, or why not, breeders choose to introduce CRISPR-Cas9 into their research over other plant-breeding applications.