Genome Editing in Agriculture

New plant breeding techniques such as CRISPR/Cas have the potential to improve sustainability in agriculture. Genome editing techniques can increase yields while reducing the use of pesticides. Researchers around the world are working on improving the nutritional value of plants. However, whether the new technologies will be used in Europe is uncertain at present. Should genome editing be regulated like the ‘old’ genetic engineering techniques used on plants? What might a responsible interpretation of the precautionary principle look like? The political discussion on the evaluation of new plant breeding technologies is in full swing. The contributions in this anthology present the legal, social and ethical aspects of the topic that were discussed at a summer school of the Institute of Technology-Theology-Natural Sciences (TTN) at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich.
With contributions from
Stephan Schleissing; Sebastian Pfeilmeier; Christian Dürnberger; Jarst van Belle; Jan Schaart; Robert van Loo; Katharina Unkel; Thorben Sprink; Aurélie Jouanin; Marinus J.M. Smulders; Hans-Georg Dederer; Brigitte Voigt; Felix Beck; João Otávio Benevides Demasi; Bartosz Bartkowski; Chad M. Baum; Alexander Bogner; Helge Torgersen; Sebastian Schubert; Anne Friederike Hoffmann; Ksenia Gerasimova; Karolina Rucinska