Genetic Engineering in Agriculture

Dear Colleagues,

Genetic engineering (GE) relies on the approaches of modern molecular biology to permanently change the genetic makeup of cells. GE is often used to produce organisms with improved or novel traits, often by transferring genes across species boundaries, or making targeted genomic changes. The uses of GE range from research to medicine, industrial applications, and agriculture.

In this Topic, we focus on GE applications to agriculture, including crops, livestock, breeding, and more. Historically, GE was used to create insect-resistant and herbicide-tolerant crops, which are widely used. Now, efforts are underway to create a variety of specialty traits, such as improved tolerance to abiotic stress. Engineering of animals has led to increased growth, absence of horns, reduced methane emissions, and more. As GE has enormous potential to change organisms, this topic is both exciting and controversial.

The Topic “Genetic Engineering for Agriculture” provides a platform to publish both reviews (both in support of GE for agriculture and in opposition to GE for agriculture) and original research papers. Please join us in creating a diverse collection of articles for a variety of topics. We look forward to receiving contributions.

Dr. Amy L. Klocko
Prof. Dr. Jianjun Chen
Dr. Haiwei Lu
Topic Editors