This study develops a methodology to assess the impacts of input use efficiency enhancement in crop production. Here we investigate fifty years of genetic engineering research aimed at increasing nitrogen use efficiency in rice, focusing on effects on yield and fertilizer use. Our meta-analysis indicates that global adoption of genetically engineered rice could substantially impact agricultural systems, showing the potential to increase food production or, alternatively, to maintain current production levels with a notable reduction in cultivated land and a substantial decrease in global fertilizer use. Yield impacts are greater in developing countries, and gene editing approaches outperform conventional transgenic methods in yield. Among all targeted gene types, efforts to improve transporter gene function have shown the most significant yield improvements. Our findings indicate that genetically engineered crops can enhance productivity and sustainability in agriculture. Global adoption of genetically engineered rice either benefits food production or maintains current production levels with a reduction in cultivated land and global fertilizer use, as revealed by a meta-analysis of 50-year genetic engineering research.
The evidence indicates that breeding has delivered clear gains in adaptation, hybrid performance, oil composition and resistance to selected diseases, but progress is markedly less consistent for complex traits expressed across variable environments.
P. Kumari, Deep Shikha, A. Jha et al.· Journal of Advances in Biolo...· 0 citations
ABSTRACT This paper updates previous estimates of the global value of using genetically modified (GM) crop technology in agriculture at the farm level. It examined impacts on yields, key variable costs, direct farm income and impacts on production of the main crops where the technology is used. The economic benefits have been significant with farm incomes for those using the technology having increased by $384.9 billion US dollars (1996–2024). This equates to an average farm income gain of $106/hectare. The farm income gains are divided 52% to farmers in developing countries and 48% to farmers in developed countries. Sixty-eight per cent of the gains have derived from yield and production gains with 32% coming from cost savings. These yield and production gains have made important contributions to increasing global production levels of the four main crops, having, for example, added 459 million tonnes and 817 million tonnes respectively to the global production of soybeans and maize since 1996. In 2024, the extra global production of the crops in which GM technology has been used (99 million tonnes), would have, if conventional production systems been used, required an additional 25.5 million ha of land to be planted to these crops. In terms of investment, for each extra dollar invested in GM crop seeds (relative to the cost of conventional seed), farmers gained an average US $4.17 in extra income. In developing countries, the average return was $5.31, and in developed countries the average return was $3.47.
Sustainable agriculture requires simultaneously increasing food production and mitigating climate change, yet the extent to which crop improvement strategies deliver co-benefits at regional scales remains poorly understood. Improving radiation-use efficiency (RUE) has been widely proposed as a pathway to increase crop productivity, but its potential benefits such as soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration are not well understood. Here, we developed a hybrid modeling framework that integrates a process-based agricultural system model (APSIM) with machine learning to capture genetic × environment × management (G × E × M) interactions and their effects on crop yield and SOC dynamics across the North China Plain. The results show that improving RUE increases both crop yields and SOC, but the magnitude of these benefits is strongly modulated by nitrogen inputs and varies widely across the region. In the future period (2021–2060) under a moderate-emissions scenario SSP2-4.5, increasing RUE of current cultivars by 10% and 20% led to additional wheat yield gains of 1.1 (+16%) and 1.8 t ha−1 (+26%) and maize gains of 0.8 (+11%) and 1.1 t ha−1 (+14%), respectively. These productivity gains also translated into an increase in SOC sequestration (+10% and +26%, respectively), as a consequence of enhanced carbon inputs. Notably, the coupling between yield gains and SOC sequestration varied substantially across the region, indicating spatially differentiated benefits. Our results highlight that improving RUE can contribute to both productivity and soil carbon gains, but these co-benefits are not universal and depend on local environmental and management contexts. This study provides a scalable and feasible approach for evaluating crop improvement strategies and their environmental consequences represented by SOC dynamics, as well as demonstrate that RUE improvement offers great opportunities for sustainable agriculture.
Glyphosate, one of the most widely used and effective herbicides worldwide, plays a critical role in weed management. However, its application can indirectly compromise crop yield and fiber quality while controlling weeds. Consequently, breeding crop varieties that simultaneously exhibit high herbicide tolerance, high yield, and excellent quality has become a major goal in current crop breeding. To address this critical gap, we successfully developed a transgenic upland cotton line, designated as L397-1, by co-transforming the elite cultivar ZM24 with two functional genes: the herbicide-resistant
g10evo-epsps
and the high-yield
csRRM2
. Phenotypic analysis showed that L397–1 plants exhibited significantly enhanced tolerance to glyphosate, as well as increased yield and fiber length, indicating that this strategy effectively pyramids high-yield, high-quality, and high-herbicide-resistance traits. Furthermore, comprehensive environmental safety assessments were conducted on the transgenic plants, covering their competitive fitness in both wasteland and cultivated habitats, field arthropod community structure, incidence of major diseases, and the population density and species richness of harmful pests. The results revealed no significant differences between the transgenic L397–1 and its recipient ZM24 across all evaluated ecological parameters, supporting the ecological safety and application potential of L397–1 for future breeding utilization. In summary, this study establishes an integrated chain from “trait pyramiding technology development—germplasm innovation—multidimensional evaluation of breeding value”, providing new insights for the synergistic improvement of multiple traits and their utilization in crop breeding.
Peng Wang, Meng-Meng Li, Juyun Zheng et al.· Frontiers in Plant Science· 0 citations
By introducing desirable traits into an existing genome while maintaining the plant’s genetic integrity, plant genetic engineering is an effective method for enhancing plants and remains to be seen whether the advantages of reduced chemical use and improved nutritional aspects lead to a world with food security that is environmentally sustainable.
A. Goswami, Bijendra Singh, R. P. Singh· Progressive Agriculture· 0 citations
Global population growth, climate variability, labour scarcity, and declining availability of arable land have intensified the demand for sustainable and resource-efficient weed management strategies in rice production systems. Herbicide-resistant (HR) rice has emerged as a transformative innovation capable of improving weed control efficiency, facilitating direct-seeded rice cultivation, reducing labour dependency, and enhancing yield stability under diverse agroecological conditions. This review critically examines the evolution of HR rice technologies, herbicide modes of action, resistance mechanisms, and integrated weed management approaches, with particular emphasis on the convergence of conventional breeding, biotechnology, and advanced genome editing platforms for the development of next-generation HR rice varieties. The review further explores the agronomic, ecological, and socio-economic dimensions associated with HR rice adoption, including challenges related to HR weed evolution, gene flow to wild and weedy rice relatives, biodiversity loss, ecological imbalance, and long-term sustainability concerns. The concept of the HR rice paradox is introduced to describe the delicate balance between agricultural intensification and ecological stewardship, where enhanced weed management efficiency must be aligned with environmental safety and sustainable farming practices. The review emphasizes that the future success of HR rice depends on integrated strategies combining genetic innovation, region-specific agronomic management, resistance monitoring, and policy frameworks to ensure sustainable rice production, food security, and environmentally responsible agricultural transformation aligned with global sustainability goals.
Suman Dutta, R. Sadhukhan, Kajal Das et al.· Discover Plants· 0 citations
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